Simultaneously, the CID and the special branch-I under the jurisdiction of the Greater Mumbai police have been keeping a regular watch on the moves and counter-moves of pro-Enron and anti-Enron lobbies. The CID, which is sending daily reports to the state intelligence wing of the Maharashtra Police, is more concerned about how the anti-Enron agitation launched by the left parties and DF constituents takes shape in the days to come, and whether it would have any major impact on the stability of the state government.

These agencies have started collecting copies of the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between the DPC and the Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB), the state guarantee and sovereign guarantee, the state support agreement and various clearances given by the state government and the MSEB.

Officials from the IB and state CID have also increased the dialogue with the state and MSEB officials.

MSEB sources confirmed that they have been sharing information on Dabhol-related issues with the state CID as well as IB officials. The IB is quite keen to collect the information on the financial impact on the state and central governments if the Dabhol project is ultimately scrapped.

Similarly, it has been gathering information on the possible actions from the DPC, including filing of arbitration in a UK court. Top police department sources told The Financial Express that the IB is keen to know the state government's move in the wake of the Dabhol Power Company's decision to invoke the Centre's counter-guarantee last week.

Intelligence Bureau, CID beef up vigilance on Dabhol developments The BJP-led government, which has been criticised for providing a counter-guarantee for the Dabhol project during its "13-day wonder" in 1996, has been directly roped into the ongoing controversy following the DPC's decision to invoke sovereign guarantee.

The IB has been closely watching the statements by the ruling DF leaders including its constituents, the Peasants and Workers Party, the Republican Party of India, the Janata Dal (S), the Communist Party of India (M) and the Samajwadi Party.

Chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and finance minister Jayant Patil have expressed the state's inability to bear the mounting burden and at times have announced not to pay the DPC bills until the Centre decides to share it equally.

Former chief minister Sharad Pawar, who has been consistent in his stand that the DPC be brought to the negotiating table for a cut in tariff, has also advocated the revival of the loss-making MSEB. Mr Pawar's "pro-Enron project" stand is under close scrutiny especially when his Nationalist Congress Party is a major partner in the DF government.

Simultaneously, the IB has been taking note of the utterings by opposition parties, comprising the saffron Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Ironically, during the Sena-BJP alliance, the Dabhol project, which was scrapped on August 3, 1995, was revived on January 8, 1996 after renegotiations.

The recent statements made by the former deputy chief minister Gopinath Munde, who had fired salvos against the Congress government for bringing Enron into the state, have been reported at length by the IB. Furthermore, former chief minister Narayan Rane's challenge to the state chief minister to review and scrap the Dabhol project has also been incorporated in the IB report.

Interestingly, the silence of the Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray on the Dabhol controversy has also been noted down by the IB as well as the state CID. Curiously, Mr Thackeray had been the termed as the "architect" for the revival of Dabhol project after his much debated meeting with the former DPC chief executive officer Rebacca Mark.

Moreover, the state CID is keen to gather information on the various options available for the DF constituents to hot up their agitation against the Dabhol project following their displeasure over the constitution of the experts committee under the chairmanship of former union home secretary Madhav Godbole.

The left parties have announced March 1 as the "anti-Enron day" and have organised statewide meetings against the Dabhol project. These parties have yet to decide whether or not to withdraw support to the DF government. The CID's political wing is assimilating the information on the possible impact on the survival of DF government and new political scene in the state.

MSEB to pay Rs 10 crore bill
MSEB will issue a cheque of Rs 10 crore towards the arrears of Rs 74 crore of November power purchase bill to DPC on Monday. Similarly, the state government, which held a formal meeting with the DPC on Thursday, has launched fresh efforts for the payment of the balance Rs 64 crore to the DPC by Monday evening. DPC has already invoked the state guarantee for the non-payment of November and December bills by MSEB. It has invoked the counter-guarantee for the non-payment of the November bill.