Drop Union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju from council of ministers, Cong tells BJP

ITANAGAR: The Congress in Arunachal Pradesh has asked the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre to immediately drop Union minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju from the council of ministers for his alleged involvement in the Rs 450-crore scam in the 600-MW Kameng Hydroelectric Project (HEP).
The project is being executed by the North East Electrical Power Corporation (Neepco) in the state.
The chief vigilance officer (CVO) of North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (Neepco), Satish Verma, has accused several high-profile persons, including Rijiju, his cousin Goboi Rijiju, who is also a contractor, and some top officials of the PSU of corruption in the construction of two dams for the Kameng project.
Verma, an IPS officer from Gujarat, had sent a 129-page report to the CBI, CVC and the ministry of power in July. The report talked about an 'elaborate conspiracy' by contractors, Neepco authorities and the West Kameng district administration to defraud the government and the PSU of funds to the tune of Rs 450 crore.
Reacting to the report, the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Tuesday demanded a CBI inquiry into the alleged irregularities and a white paper on the scandal. "Rijiju's involvement in the scam has tarnished the image of India," former chief minister Nabam Tuki said. He demanded an independent judicial probe by a sitting Supreme Court judge.
"Arunachal boasts of NE India's largest hydropower project, the 405-MW Ranganadi HEP. The 600-MW Kameng HEP, scheduled for commissioning in 2012, would have added another feather to its cap. But Rijiju and his close relative delayed it by four years. Rijiju's true colours have been exposed and his voters will judge him in the right perspective now," Tuki added.
Verma was pulled up by Neepco for 'unauthorised absence' and was transferred to the CRPF in Tripura soon after his report. His report talks about several fake and inflated bills by contractors to allegedly siphon off money in the name of transporting rocks for dam construction.
Not only was the transportation cost decided arbitrarily, many challans and records provided by the contractor, Patel Engineering Limited (PEL), were found to be fake, alleged APPCC president Padi Richo.
"The Neepco project, which is nearing completion, includes two dams over Bichom and Tenga rivers. Work had started in 2005 after the tender for civil work at Bichom Dam, Tenga Dam and a powerhouse at Kimi were bagged by the Mumbai-based PEL," said Richo.