BJP leader Ashwath Narayan alleges Rs 15,568 cr 'misappropriation' in smart meter tender process
Bengaluru, Mar 25 (PTI): BJP leader C N Ashwath Narayan on Tuesday alleged that 'misappropriation' amounting to approximately Rs 15,568 crore has taken place in the smart meter tender process of Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) and other Electricity Supply Companies (ESCOMS).
According to officials, a smart meter is an electronic device that records data such as electricity consumption, voltage levels, load, and various other technical parameters. This information is periodically transmitted to the server.
Accusing the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government of "favoritism and irregularities" in the tender process, the MLA claimed that the scale of this misappropriation is even larger and emphasised that ESCOMs should adhere to the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) rules.
The former Deputy Chief Minister's statement came a day after the Energy Department dismissed allegations of irregularities in the installation of smart meters, with BESCOM MD Shivashankara asserting that the smart meter purchase price was determined scientifically and executed with full transparency.
Addressing a press conference, the BJP leader argued that the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) rules do not mandate the use of smart meters.
He stated that while smart meters can be made mandatory for temporary connections, they cannot be enforced for permanent and new customers.
Citing Central Electricity Authority (CEA) regulations, the former Minister explained that smart meters for new consumers can only be mandated after all existing meters have been replaced with smart meters.
"Smart meters are not mandatory, even under Central Electricity Authority rules. The bid capacity under the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (KTPP) Act was not mentioned in the tender. It should have been Rs 6,800 crore," Narayan said.
The BJP MLA pointed out that under the KTPP Act, the required turnover should be Rs 1,920 crore, whereas the tender amendment contract value was specified as Rs 107 crore annually.
He further alleged that despite a rule stating that no blacklisted company should be awarded the contract, BCITS, which was blacklisted in Uttar Pradesh, was still considered.
"As per central government guidelines, an experience of installing just one lakh smart meters is sufficient. However, this tender required experience with 10 lakh ordinary meters, seemingly to limit competition and favour Rajashree Electricals," Narayan alleged.
He noted that the estimated cost of the project was Rs 571 crore but was later amended.
Criticising the "lack of transparency", Narayan said, "The tender was issued without specifying the total amount. The KTPP Act was not followed, nor were central government rules implemented. A contractor with no experience in manufacturing or installing smart or digital meters was considered."
Highlighting that smart meters have been installed at lower costs in Congress-ruled states like Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, and Kerala, he pointed out, "In Karnataka, each meter costs Rs 17,000, whereas in other states, the price is Rs 7,740 per meter."
Recalling that an IAS officer and a minister were arrested in Bihar in 2023 over a similar scam, Narayan alleged that the Karnataka government had violated the KTPP Act at every level.
"This is daylight robbery. The (state) government must be held accountable. They are making smart meters mandatory without any legal backing," he alleged.
According to the BESCOM MD, as per the regulations, the tender process followed the Standard Bidding Documents provided by the Ministry of Power and complied with the KTPP Act.
The tender was issued on September 26, 2024. With the approval of the BESCOM Board of Directors, the contract was awarded to Rajashree Electricals, who submitted the lowest bid, on December 23, 2024.
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Man booked for duping firm of Rs 6 cr by posing as Infosys CSR official
Bengaluru (PTI): An FIR has been registered against a man and his accomplices for allegedly cheating a firm of Rs 6 crore by falsely claiming to be associated with an IT company and promising to facilitate CSR funds for its projects, police said on Friday.
The crime is said to have taken place between September 1, 2025 and March 20, 2026, and after consultation with legal experts the company decided to file a complaint at the Devanahalli police station here, they said.
The FIR was registered on March 30 following a complaint by Mysore Mercantile Company, alleging that a person named Gagan N Deep approached them, posing as the Regional Head (CSR) at Infosys Ltd, they said.
According to the FIR, Deep claimed he reported to senior officials - Harsh J, Senior Regional Manager - Infrastructure, Facilities Operation, Public Relations and CSR Works, and Niladri Prasad Mishra, Senior Vice President and Head - Global Infrastructure and Climate Action.
The FIR alleged that the accused expressed interest in the activities of their associated trust, Heggunje Rajeeva Shetty Charitable Trust, Bangalore, and assured facilitation of CSR funds from Infosys Ltd.
It further stated that the accused sent a team of four to five individuals representing Infosys, including persons identified as Chethan and Tejas, to Udupi, Mangaluru and other places to verify the trust’s activities.
According to the complaint, the accused subsequently induced the complainant to pay an Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) to alleged regular vendors of Infosys as a condition for approval of CSR grants.
The complainant stated that a total amount of Rs 6 crore was paid, including Rs 1.75 crore through demand drafts in favour of Anitha Ventures and Rs 3.75 crore through demand drafts in favour of ANS Engineerings, apart from an additional cash payment of Rs 30 lakh allegedly handed over to the accused through his driver near Nandi Upachar Hotel in Devanahalli, as per his instructions.
The FIR further alleged that the accused issued a purported sanction letter dated October 21, 2025, allegedly from Infosys bearing the signature of Mishra, and executed a grant agreement dated January 8, 2026 between Infosys and the charitable trust for the construction of more than 855 houses across Karnataka with a total grant of Rs 179 crore.
Another grant agreement dated January 13, 2026 was also executed for construction of primary health care centres across the state with a total grant of Rs 178 crore, it stated.
However, the complainant later suspected that the representations made by the accused were false, the documents were fabricated, and the entire transaction was fraudulent in nature, as the accused dishonestly induced them to part with substantial amounts under the pretext of EMD for CSR grants.
"Despite repeated follow-ups neither has any grant materialised nor have the amounts been returned, and the accused is now unresponsive and deliberately avoiding communication," the FIR added.
A case has been registered under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Section 316(2) (criminal breach of trust), Section 319(2) (cheating by personation), Section 336(3) (forgery for the purpose of cheating), police said, adding that further investigation into the matter is underway.
Efforts are being made to nab the suspects in the case, they added.
