Patna: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday
criticised the Centre for allegedly not making available
sufficient electricity from central pool to cater to the
requirements of Bihar.
"Though we have strengthened the distribution and
transmission network for electricity, the Centre is not
cooperating with us by not making available sufficient
electricity," Kumar said while addressing a conference on
`Powering Bihar: Attracting Investments for Development of the
Power Sector in Bihar`.
He said that after coming to power, the NDA government
worked hard and took several steps to improve the network of
distribution and transmission of electricity in the state.
"But it is unfortunate that we have dearth of electricity," he
said.
The state government had developed the capacity of
distribution of power to 3,338 MW by now and efforts were
underway to further increase the distribution capacity to
4,640 MW by 2012, the Chief Minister said.
Accusing the Centre of supplying electricity to Bihar
from `problem-facing` power generation centres, Kumar said,
"The Centre has such an attitude that it wants the people
of Bihar to suffer."
He claimed that when the NDA came to power in Bihar, the
production of electricity in the state was "zero MW" in 2005.
"But the state government has now joint venture with NTPC
and work is in progress for making the power plants at Kanti
in Muzaffarpur district and Navinagar in Aurangabad district
operational at the earliest possible", he said.
Chief Minister said the state government was also
exploring other alternatives, including bio mass, nuclear
energy, hydel energy and non-conventional energy for meeting
the requirements of the state.
He said the state government had submitted a proposal
to the Centre for setting up a nuclear energy plant in Nawada
but nothing had come off so far.
Lashing out at the Centre for electrification of
revenue villages under the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification
Yojana, Kumar said the scheme for supplying 16 and 25 KV AMP
transformers under the Yojana had failed. "The scheme for
providing electricity to 10 BPL households in every village is
highly impractical", he said.
Stating that the problem relating to electricity would
not be solved by supplying 63 kva and 100 kva transformers,
Kumar said the state government had sent several letters to
Prime Minister, Union Power Minister and the Planning
Commission of India in this connection.
He said the Centre would have to make drastic change in
Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Programme in the 12th plan
period "otherwise it will be a treachery to people".
Chief Minister informed that the state government had
decided to change 72000 KM electricity wire which was in bad
shape in next three to four years. "We have also decided to
reconstitute the Bihar State Electricity Board", he said.
Criticising the ethanol policy of the Centre, Kumar
alleged that fate of proposals for sugarcane-based projects
for manufacturing 2000 mw electricity in Bihar were hanging in
balance following alleged faulty policy of the Centre.
"We expect production of 1400 mw electricity, if the
Centre lifts the restrictions on production of ethanol in
Bihar", he said.
PTI
