'Will you probe Bhupesh Baghel too': BRS leader after Telangana CM Revanth Reddy orders inquiry into power pact with Chhattisgarh

Hours after Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy ordered a judicial probe into a power-purchase agreement with Chhattisgarh by the previous KCR government, a BRS leader asked the CM whether he would also probe former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel. "Chhattisgarh did not distribute Power to Telangana as per agreement," said Krishank.

"They kept reducing power supply from 2018. Congress Party came to Power in 2018. Will CM Revanth's inquiry be against Chhattisgarh Congress then CM Bhupesh Baghel too for causing loss to Telangana," asked the BRS leader, while sharing a screenshot of paper which showed the average plant load factor - a measure of average capacity utilisation of a power unit.  

As per the screenshot, the PLF kept decreasing from 2017-18. From 72.51 per cent in 2017-18, the load factor came down to 64.39 in 2018-19, 27.33 per cent in 2019-20, 39.76 per cent in 2020-21, and 19.71 per cent in 2021-22.

Earlier today, Revanth Reddy said that Telangana had entered into an agreement for 1,000 MW power supply, and the state government was now incurring the burden of Rs 1,362 crore due to the pact. He alleged that the previous government signed a pact without any tenders.

"We were thrown out of the house by marshals for fighting on the Chhattisgarh agreement. An official was demoted and posted in the remote area for releasing the facts on Chhattisgarh agreement," Reddy was quoted as saying by IANS.

Reddy further said that the KCR government signed an agreement with BHEL to establish the Yadadri thermal power project. The company used the expired sub-critical technology and the government incurred huge losses, he said.

While Krishank said that Chhattisgarh's move to reduce the power supply caused the losses, a report from March 2021 suggests that then Chief Minister Baghel slashed the power supply because of rising dues on Telangana. Speaking in the assembly, Baghel reportedly said that the Telangana government was not clearing the dues of Rs 2,000 crore that it owed to Chhattisgarh against power purchased.

Baghel had said that the Chhattisgarh government was committed to honour the power purchase agreement and would enhance the production once it received the due amount from Telangana.