OGP demands pre condition on Reliance proj

Bhubaneswar, Jul 19: Orissa Gana Parishad (OGP) President Bijaya Mohapatra today demanded that the state government must set a pre condition before signing the MoU with Reliance Energy for setting up of Power plant in the state.

Mr Mohapatra told newsmen here that Reliance Energy, which has taken over the distribution charges of three zones in Orissa through WESCO, SOUTHCO and NESCO has to pay Rs 1814 crores as on June 2005 to the government undertaking GRIDCO towards bulk supply tariff charges.

He said the state government has even submitted an affidavit before the Orissa Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) expressing its helplessness in realising the huge arrears from the company, which by now must have crossed Rs 2000 crores.

The OGP President said it has been reported by newspapers that Reliance company wanted to set up a Power Plant in the state with an investment of few thousand crores and Mr Anil Ambani is likely to visit the state soon to sign a MoU with the Orissa government.

''It would be in greater interest of the state and the consumers of Orissa if the state government set a pre condition before signing the MoU with the Reliance Energy for setting up of the Power plant,'' Mr Mohapatra said and urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to initiate steps to realise the arrears including the NTPC bond of Rs 400 crores from the company before signing any agreement.

UNI