UP Power employees oppose Anpara privatisation

Lucknow, Nov 23 (UNI) Uttar Pradesh power department employees today reiterated their demand for rescinding the privatisation of Anpara C project in Sonebhadra district of the state.

Power Employees Joint Action Committee media convenor Shailendra Dubey alleged that the private partner Lanco Kundapalli had already violated some provisions in the agreement and the state government should proactively nullify the privatisation contract.

The project has been lying in limbo for the last 10 years due to the controversy surrounding its privatisation, he reminded.

Mr Dubey demanded that the project be handed over to Utpadan Nigam, so that the two units of Anpara C start functioning at the earliest.

Meanwhile, the Committee members would observe fast on November 27 here to protest Anpara privatisation.

The committee maintains that it was not against private investment for building power houses.

''However, Anpara C is not a new project and is an extension of Anpara A and B and is situated in the same complex. Thus, it was wrong to hand it over to private hands,'' it alleged.

The project was awarded to the private Hyderabad-based power company promoted by the Vijaywada Congress MP, Lanco Kundapalli.

The Lanco Kundapalli group had outbid Reliance Energy and Essar Group for the 1,000-MW Anpara C thermal power project and it showcased as the first tariff based competitive bidding project. The power project has already major approvals included the coal linkage in place.

The Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for the project between Lanco Anpara Power Pvt Ltd and UP Thermal Power Generation Corporation was signed on November 12, 2006 during the previous Mulayam Singh Yadav regime.

UNI