Chennai: PMK president Anbumani Ramadoss welcomed Madras high court’s order directing a probe by CBI into alleged irregularities in the procurement of 45,800 transformers for Tangedco. The court’s directive follows allegations that the transformers were purchased at inflated prices between 2021 and 2023, resulting in a staggering loss of 397 crore to the state exchequer. In a statement on Wednesday, Anbumani said the court order is a “major victory” for the opposition parties and public interest organisations such as NGO Arappor Iyakkam, which has been campaigning against the alleged scam for more than two years. “DMK govt and DVAC systematically blocked any investigation into this scam. This high court verdict is a welcome step toward transparency,” Anbumani said. He said Tangedco bought 45,800 transformers for 1,182 crore. For a tender involving 500kVA transformers, 26 contractors reportedly quoted an identical price of 13.72 lakh per unit, suggesting a pre-planned cartel. While govt eventually paid 12.49 lakh per unit, Anbumani claimed the same transformers were available on the Govt e-Marketplace (GeM) for 8.91 lakh and were purchased by Rajasthan govt for 7.87 lakh. Tamil Nadu allegedly paid 37% to 50% more than the market rate for each unit, he said.Anbumani accused DMK govt of promoting the then electricity minister V Senthilbalaji, Tangedco chairman Rajesh Lakhani, and other senior officials in the procurement process, instead of initiating disciplinary action for their involvement. “The electricity department has become a breeding ground for corruption under DMK, from buying power at 20 per unit to overpricing smart meters by 350%,” he alleged.
