Key Points

Addressing a press conference in Shimla, Thakur claimed that the Rs 220 crore Pekhubela Solar Power Plant, "originally estimated to cost only Rs 60 crore", was deliberately executed with "substandard work to benefit a favoured contractor", leading to large-scale damage during floods on August 2, 2025.

"The current government, in the name of a Green Revolution, has cheated the people of the state on a massive scale. I have been exposing the truth for the past year. This project is the biggest example of corruption and poor planning," Thakur alleged.

He further stated that during heavy rains on August 2, the Pekhubela site was completely submerged because there was "no proper drainage system".

He alleged that the drainage from the plant relied solely on an inadequate connection to an adjacent Indian Oil Corporation facility.

"Even a small house has a drainage system, but here, a Rs 220 crore project had none. When the plant was flooded, water had to be pumped out using diesel generators," the former Industry Minister said.

He claimed that the project's operational and maintenance responsibilities had been awarded to a company named Frozel for eight years, but the firm abandoned operations on June 14, 2025. The plant is now being run solely by Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) staff.

Thakur alleged that out of the plant's 10 inverters, four are non-functional, reducing the generation capacity from 32 MW to 16 MW.

"99 per cent of the contractor's dues were released without holding any brand guarantee," he said while further alleging that there was corruption, faulty engineering, and inflated costs involved in the execution of the project.

The BJP MLA accused the government of approving the project without a proper tendering process, awarding it on a nomination basis and bypassing financial scrutiny.

He said the August floods destroyed a 350.50-meter-long approach road, submerged the control room, and damaged all 32 string monitoring boxes, rendering them useless.

Thakur also accused senior officials of rejecting a 2023 offer from Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) to supply 200 MW of power at Rs 2.57 per unit from its Bikaner plant. He alleged that this refusal, done to "protect Pekhubela's contractors", caused a loss of Rs 500-600 crore to the state exchequer.

"The officer handling this decision was also the Managing Director of the State Electricity Board and held multiple positions. The refusal to negotiate is evidence of collusion," he alleged while demanding an independent probe into the project.

Calling the government "deeply mired in corruption", Thakur demanded that the Pekhubela project be investigated by an independent agency and that officials under suspicion be removed from key positions.

"The functioning, design, and financial aspects of this plant must be probed independently. Honest officers should be sent to the field, and those involved in corruption must be removed," he said.

Thakur further alleged that "the government has eliminated around 1,500 posts in the Electricity Board and is not recruiting new staff", terming it an act of negligence and hostility toward the power sector.

He added by warning that the BJP would continue raising its voice against this "loot" until it is stopped.

- ANI