Congress flags 'gigantic scandal' as Adani cuts Maharashtra hydropower project cost by 99%

New Delhi: The Congress on Friday attacked the Modi government over Adani Green Energy Limited reportedly seeking to revise the cost of its hydropower project in Maharashtra's Satara district downwards by 99 per cent, calling it a "scandal of gigantic proportions" and reiterating its demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the group's operations.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared on X a report in The Indian Express which claimed that Adani Green Energy Limited, a renewable energy company owned by the Adani Group, has sought to sharply revise the cost of its 1,500 megawatt hydropower project in Maharashtra's Satara district downwards to Rs 56.75 crore from Rs 5,675 crore.

The newspaper report said that the reduction in cost to a one-hundredth matters because it also proportionally reduces the money Adani Green Energy has to deposit towards wildlife sanctuary conservation and protection to just Rs 2.27 crore as against Rs 227 crore.


Following a complaint registered on October 30 with the prime minister's grievance redressal portal and to the chief minister of Maharashtra through the state government's Aaple Sarkar grievance redressal portal, alleging "incorrect cost of the project", the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has directed the state forest department on November 6 to investigate the matter on priority, and the state forest department has also initiated a probe, according to the media report.

There was no immediate reaction from the Adani Group, Maharashtra government or the Centre on the claims.

In his post on X, Ramesh said, "Over the past decade, the Modani conglomerate's astronomical expansion has been a saga of well-documented scams."

The Indian National Congress has, since March 2023, been demanding a thorough investigation through a JPC into its growth and takeover of company after company, industry after industry, public asset after public asset, which had been documented in detail, he said.

Now comes another extraordinary revelation in a leading daily that had earlier exposed the CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Ramesh said, describing the report as "truly sensational".

"Modani has slashed its project cost for a 1500 MW pumped storage power project in Maharashtra. A project which was sanctioned last year for Rs 5,675 crore is now stated in an affidavit to have a cost of Rs 56.75 crore. It is a 99% reduction!" the Congress leader said.

This is unbelievable, and yet another example of what "Modani" is always able to get away with, Ramesh said.

"It points to a scandal of gigantic proportions, reinforcing the demand for a JPC into its operations," he said.