Itanagar: Union Minister of State for
Power Bharat Sinh Solanki has called for expeditious
harnessing of hydropower in North Easter region which has the
potential to meet 43 per cent of the country`s requirements.
"Such a move is the need of the hour to overcome the
country’s power crisis and reduce the impact of global warming
caused by carbon generating thermal plants and industries,"
Solanki told power developers at the 5th National Hydropower
Convention held at Tawang on the Sino-India border last
evening, official sources said today.
Appreciating Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu for his
foresight to tap the rich hydro power potential, Solanki said
that this would make the state and its people self sufficient
and self reliant soon with massive infrastructure development
and creation of huge job opportunities.
"The faster we move, the quicker we deliver the
benefits to our future generation," he said while urging
power developers to expedite their projects and the state
government to provide all possible support in accomplishing
the task on time.
On social corporate responsibility, the minister
advocated the need for basic amenities at project sites to win
the trust of local people and advised setting up of industrial
training institutes in the vicinity to train youths.
Reiterating strict adherence to agreed timeframes
with help from the state government, Khandu, in his
presidential address, warned that delay in execution would not
be tolerated.
Of the 57,000 MW identified potentials, the state
government has so far signed 103 MoAs and MoUs with private
developers and central PSUs with a target to produce over
36,000 MW and earned upfront fees of over Rs 1000 crore.
National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Ltd CMD SK
Garg, in his keynote address, stressed on effective media
campaign to create mass awareness on the benefits of the
projects and effective implementation of the social corporate
responsibility to increase hydropower development.
Infrastructural bottleneck, lack of communication,
delay in forest and environment clearance and other problems
affecting execution needed urgent attention in national
interest, Garg said.
PTI
