Shinde urges states to focus on capacity addition

New Delhi, Nov 16 (UNI) The Government today said there is a 7.5 per cent energy shortage, 11 per cent peaking shortage in the country and over 40 per cent of the population do not have access to electricity.

Speaking at a conference Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde urged the states to focus on capacity addition and demanded management in the 11th Plan for eliminating power shortage.

He said early decisions are needed on new projects and their implementation is to be monitored.

''We will be able not only to eliminate power shortage but to create spare capacity also,'' he said, while inaugurating conference of Power Ministers.

Reviewing the 10th plan, he said there are weaknesses in preparatory work, delays in decision making and imbalance in capacity addition among states.

Deputy Chairman Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia said to achieve 9 per cent growth rate and target of rural electrification during XI th Plan, we have to double the power generation capacity as compared to previous plan.

Stressing on the link between power generation and its distribution Mr Singh said much of the problems of the power generations will be solved if distribution related anomalies are solved.

''Power is a concurrent subject and the primary responsibility as far as the consumer is concerned vests with the States who have full responsibility for distribution, Power Secretary R V Shahi said.

Mr Shahi said the National Electricity Policy has envisaged by 2012, provision of access to all households in a few years adding that the decisions which can be taken now would have an impact only in the second half of the Eleventh Plan.

The Coal Ministry has put in place a liberal system of giving coal linkages as well as coal blocks for power projects.

Each state needs to choose the right mix of projects to be developed in the state sector and through competitive bidding on tariff. The objective should be to ensure that the total power available from the Central projects, state projects and competitively bid projects gives some surplus over anticipated demand, Mr Shinde said.

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