New Delhi, July 10 (Inditop.com) An official who was forced to quit an expert appraisal committee of the ministry of environment and forests due to conflict of interest had been present in meetings where projects of companies he represented were discussed, claims an NGO. However, the official has denied this.
P. Abraham chaired the EAC on river valley and hydroelectric projects from April 2007 to June this year, when he was forced to resign following a letter from the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People to Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh that he was on the board of firms whose projects the EAC had to approve or reject.
When he resigned, Abraham had said he had abstained from meetings when projects of these firms were discussed.
On Friday, Himanshu Thakkar of the NGO wrote again to the minister, saying this was not correct.
“Mr Abraham is on the board of the PTC India Limited,” Thakkar wrote. “PTC India has subscribed to 20 percent equity stake in Athena Energy Ventures P Ltd (AEPL). AEPL has been allotted the 3,000 MW Demwe Hydropower project in Arunachal Pradesh.. Thus it is clear that Mr. Abraham should not have been sitting in the committee when the issues related to Damwe project came up for decisions. However, Mr Abraham never abstained from these decisions, as can be seen from minutes of the EAC meetings.”
Thakkar has provided dates of the meetings when Abraham was present and the project was discussed, saying “there is clear conflict of interest between Mr Abraham’s role as PTC India board member and as EAC chairman”.
The NGO wrote that PTC India also has a 20 percent stake in the Athena group, which owns Teesta Urja Limited, a firm executing a hydro project in Sikkim. It said Abraham sat on a key EAC meeting on this project on April 21 this year.
Thakkar wrote that Abraham was also on the board of JSW Energy, whose Kuther hydroelectric project came up for clearance at the EAC meeting where he was present on May 7 last year.
He also wrote: “Abraham is chairman of the investment committee of the SIB Trust, which is managed by KSK Energy Ventures Limited. Thus Mr Abraham has clear conflict of interest when the EAC that he chairs discusses KSK group projects… This study was discussed and decisions about it made in the EAC meetings on July 16, 2008, Jan 22, 2009, Feb 16, 2009 and June 16, 2009 and Mr Abraham did not abstain when these decisions were taken.”
Nor did Abraham abstain from the EAC meeting on another project, the Dibin hydroelectric project, where he had a conflict of interest, according to the NGO.
“All this indicates the need for review of the decisions taken by the Abraham committee,” Thakkar has told the minister.
