Opposition walkout over power plant MOU

Raipur, Aug 3 (UNI) Opposition Congress today staged a walkout in the Chhattisgarh Vidhan Sabha expressing dissatisfaction over Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh's replies regarding a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed with a United States company for setting up a 1000 MW power plant in the state.

Minister of state for industry Rajesh Munat told Mohammad Akbar (Congress) during question hour the state government had signed an MOU with Texas Power Corporation for setting up a 1000 MW power plant.

At the time of signing of MOU, he said, there was no provision under which the state could get a fixed share of power generated by this power plant. Subsequently on the basis of state's power policy, the state government wrote to the company, demanding that a share of power generated be supplied at actual production cost, he said, adding the compny had agreed to this request.

Mr Akbar pointed out the company had already entered into an MOU with Power Trading Corporation for selling power from this plant for the next 25 years. He said the company cannot sell power to anyone else, as per this MOU.

The minister said the company would have to honour its promise.

The company will not get any concessions listed in the energy policy if it overlooked the provisions, he added.

Intervening in the matter, the Chief Minister said there was no chance of any dispute since the company had already agreed to the state's suggestion of supplying a 'fixed share of power.' Demanding cancellation of the MOU, Mr Ravindra Choubey (Congress) said such an agreement MOU was against the larger interests of the state.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the chief minister's reply, the opposition members raised slogans and later staged a walkout.

UNI AS/JJ PA KP1636