SURAJ NANDREKAR
suraj@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: If you want power for your factory or business establishment and have submitted an application for your power load, be prepared for a Bermuda Triangle kind of a situation – the file simply vanishes. Technically files continue to literally rot in the office of the Power Minister Milind Naik. Frustrated corporates, revealed that files are not cleared unless the minister’s sees a “special reason” to clear the file and allot power.
The government’s grand plan of attracting investments through the Investment Promotion Board will be paper plans, since the Power department does not release power.
Thus Naik, who has without any valid reason held on to a file from the GPSC for appointment of five Executive Engineers, (Herald front page , November 3) seems to have a habit of just clinging on to files for the reasons best known to him.
The files which the Power Minister is clinging on to, are applications of some very serious and reputed companies and institutions for release of electrical connections, some of which are pending since 2013, shockingly.
What is even more baffling is that this is happening at a time when the government is struggling to get new industries to the State.
The files are pending from industry bigwigs like Reliance Infrastructure, MRF, Varun Beverages, Funskool, Cosme Biotech etc.
For instance a file from MRF, Usgao is pending from February 2014, Infiniti Modules from December 2013 and Karangate Developers from October, 2013.
Herald spoke to a few of these industries, whose wait is between one and a half to two years and counting, and what came out was startling.
“The government is trying to attract more and more industries into State, which will generate more employment etc but this is the state of affairs, the files do not move an inch, without you know what,” said one industry official, who did not want to be named.
Another official says his file is pending for about a year with the Power Minister for no reason.
Herald inquiries have revealed there are 23 such files pending for a long period of time and the applicants have either given up or are planning to withdraw their applications as the ultimate cost of this delay would be unaffordable.
Chief Electrical Engineer Deepak Bhajekar, when contacted said he has taken charge recently and does not know about the pending files or the allegations of demands for releasing connections.
“I have come to know that there are some files pending for a long time and I have asked the Executive Engineers to put them up immediately. The files should not take so much time. I will personally look into it,” he said.
Bhajkekar should know, that when the Chief Minister cannot get the appointment of five Executive Engineers done, after clearing the file personally, what can he, a mere Chief Electrical Engineer do.
After all this is Milind Naik’s “power trip” and no one can stop him.
