People will have to suffer for four years, says UP power minister

Lucknow, Aug 21(UNI) Uttar Pradesh Power Minister Ramveer Upadhaya today said the state will be self-sufficient in the power sector in the next four years but till then the people will have to bear with the shortage.

''Even after purchasing power at the cost of Rs 8 per unit from Himachal Pradesh there is an immense shortage of power, so roastering is underway in the districts to fill the gap'', he said.

Replying to a question in the state assembly, Mr Upadhaya said work in the 1200 mw each Bara and Karchana thermal power projects would start in the next three months, while work on other projects would also start soon.

At present the state was generating 2600 mw of power while 3500 mw was being imported from central sector. There was still a shortfall of about 2000 mw against the demand during the peak hours, the power minister said.

However, the members raised serious doubt over the government's committment on starting the new power projects while some members alleged power roastering in their area was more than the scheduled.

Leader of the opposition Mulayam Singh Yadav said the government should intervene and ensure gas supply to the proposed Dadri power project. The minister replied that as the issue was in the Supreme Court, the state government cannot do anything till the matter was resolved.

In another question, the government denied that there was any starvation death in the state after BJP member Shyamdeo Rai Choudhury claimed that a woman died in Barabanki while another person died in Varanasi due to starvation in January last.

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