DVC whistle-blower faces the wrath
V K Gupta

02 July, 2012
DVC Engineers Association General Secretary has been transferred from Jharkhand to Tamil Nadu on a non existent post, allegedly for exposing corruption by high ups of Damodar Valley Corporation.
--------
HAVING BLOWN the lid off in a number of scams in Damodar Valley Corporation P P Sah General Secretary DVC Engineers Association is now facing the wrath of DVC management.

Sah had filed a number of complaints before the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) under the whistleblower resolution of Government of India. These were investigated and proved to be correct.

DVC management has retaliated by transferring him from Bokaro (Jharkhand) to Trichurapally (Tamil Nadu) through transfer order of May 24 and releasing him on same day. There is no sanctioned post of DVC at Trichurapally. This transfer is a clear act of victimization of whistleblower. A number of complaints have been recently filed by Sah before CVC which are yet to be investigated.

There is a background to the witch-hunt. The immediate cause of action is that DVC had awarded a controversial contract for capital overhaul of 210 MW Bokaro unit 3 to a Nagpur based firm at a cost of about 2 crore. After the overhauling of unit when it was started on May 23 it was found that the unit had not been properly balanced and was having vibrations of more than double the permissible limit.

As DVC management wanted to cover the lapse and favor the firm Sah has been hounded out. The management knew well that so long as Sah is posted at the plant he will blow the whistle against the firm and expose its bungling.

All India Power Engineers Federation in a letter to Prime Minister and CVC has written that since CVC knows whistleblower Sah has filed a number of corruption related charges against DVC before the Commission, surely there is an obligation on the part of Commission itself to intervene against the victimization. When CVC delays to protect its own whistleblower it gives a negative and demoralizing signal to others. The CVO is to ensure that no punitive action is taken by any concerned and CVC must realize the gravity of the situation and act now.