Muzaffarpur: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday said his government was working on strengthening power generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure in the state and consumers will soon get electricity on demand and as per their requirement.
"There will be improvement in power generation and strengthening of transmission and distribution network to pave way for supply of electricity to consumers on demand and as per their requirement," Kumar said while addressing a public meeting at Muzaffarpur after inaugurating one of the 110 upgraded thermal power units at Kanti.
A proposal was under consideration to develop a mechanism to ensure uninterrupted power supply in the districts to increase electricity consumption in a systematic manner, the Chief Minister said.
There was difficulty in distribution of 700 MW electricity earlier, but due to improvement in transmission network, 2300 MW electricity was supplied to the consumers during the Chhath festival last week, he said.
Describing the improvement in power sector as a priority, Kumar said out of the central assistance of Rs 12,000 crore, Rs 9200 crore was being spent on improving transmission and distribution network in Bihar and if need be, more funds will be arranged to improve the power scenario.
Kumar said Bihar will get 330 MW out of the NTPC`s 660 MW capacity thermal power plant in Barh, while the Kanti thermal power plants under renovation and modernisation will generate more than 1100 MW electricity with setting up an additional unit of 500 MW.
There has been improvement in transmission infrastructure also as electricity lines of 30,000 km have been changed and workshops were being planned for maintenance and availability of transformers, the Chief Minister said, adding that all district magistrates and four senior IAS officers had been asked to work in a coordinated manner to improve the power scenario and have their accountability fixed.
Kumar asked consumers to pay electricity bills on time so that the money could be used for expanding growth in the power section.
Bihar Electricity minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav also spoke on the occasion and directed the officials to check power theft. Meanwhile, some people in the aegis of an apolitical outfit - Kanti Vikas Sangarsh Samiti - raised slogans against the state government after allegedly being denied permission to meet the Chief Minister to air their grievances about pollution emanating from the Kanti thermal power plant.
The inauguration of the renovated first unit of 110 MW thermal power plant at Kanti came under sharp attack from the opposition BJP with the former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi slamming the Chief Minister for non-publication the names of the local BJP MLAs and Zila Parishad members and alleged that the ruling party took away all the credit for the power project.
