Ranchi: Only about 4000 out of the
32,615 villages in Jharkhand have electricity while work in
over thousand villages will be completed by 2011, the state
assembly was informed on Thursday.
"We have asked the NTPC to complete work within a
time-frame (in its area of work). We have also entrusted the
State Electricity Board with completing electrification work
in 1,244 villages by 2010/11," Deputy Chief Minister, Raghuvar
Das, who holds energy portfolio, said.
Replying to a bunch of queries on electrification
during question hour, Das said the government was committed to
electrify all the villages in the state.
"For 50 years there is no electricity in most of the
villages. With an aim to provide electricity to all the
villages, we have earmarked a new Atal Jyoti Electrification
Scheme in the 2010/11 budget," he added.
Taking strong exception to Das's oblique reference
that the villages had been in dark during Congress period for
over five decades in undivided Bihar, the leader of the
opposition, R P Singh (Congress) reminded him how Jharkhand
had been benefitting from power plants in Bokaro, Tenughat,
Patratu and Maithon set up by previous Congress regimes.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, March 11, 2010, 19:34