Mayawati blames Centre for not allotting ultra power project in UP

Lucknow, Dec 4 (UNI) Reiterating that Uttar Pradesh was getting a raw deal at the hands of the Centre with regard to the state's share of power, Chief Minister Mayawati today said the Centre was being biased by not allotting any of the eight ultra mega power projects of 4000 MW each to UP.

Had this project been given to UP, the state would have received 50-60 per cent of the share of power to giving relief to the people of the state, Ms Mayawati told newspersons here.

''UP is the only state which is getting 32 per cent of electricity from Central power projects as the state's share, while other states are receiving 50-60 per cent of power,''she said while reminding that the situation had been persisting since the 1980 National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) had established its first plant at Rihand and Singrauli in the state.

She Lambasted the opposition parties, especially the Congress, whose MP Rahul Gandhi had attributed the poor power situation in UP to the inefficiency of the state government.

Blaming the Centre for giving step motherly treatment to UP on power requirements, Ms Mayawati said the UPA government at the Centre was still to decide on the special package of Rs 80,000 crore demanded by the state government. This package included Rs 6800 crore towards the betterment of power management in the state, she pointed out.

The arrangement of the funds would be in the interest of the people of the state and would have gone towards development, but sadly, the Centre has not taken any initiative in this regard, Ms Mayawati said.

''I have already written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on this issue but he has not been forthcoming in this regard,'' she said.

UNI