Tamil Nadu electricity officials probed over transformer, solar scandals

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a First Information Report against former officials of the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) and other public servants and private contractors for alleged irregularities in transformer procurement tenders that caused an estimated loss of Rs 397 crore to the state exchequer. The FIR, filed by the CBI’s Anti‑Corruption Branch in Chennai following a Madras High Court order, cites criminal conspiracy, cheating and abuse of official position under the Prevention of Corruption Act for tenders floated between 2021 and 2023.

Separately, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) suspended a superintending engineer, RG Prasath, and an executive engineer, K Radhakrishnan, over alleged lapses in processing solar‑power applications in the Non‑Conventional Energy Sources wing at Udumalpet. The disciplinary action follows a ministerial review that uncovered delayed applications and unauthorised fund transfers, prompting departmental inquiries.

Both actions are part of a broader crackdown on alleged administrative and procurement irregularities within the state’s power sector.