Jogi demands white paper on power in Chhattisgarh

Raipur, Feb 3 (UNI) Senior Congress leader Ajit Jogi today urged the Dr Raman Singh government to publish a white paper on the power scenario in Chhattisgarh alleging that deliberate efforts were on to continue the practice of purchasing power.

''While power can be produced at a cost of Rs 1.19 per unit, it is being purchased at Rs five and more per unit,'' he told a news conference here.

Alleging that the BJP regime has unleashed a propaganda that the Centre had reduced the state's quota of power at the behest of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Mr Jogi said such charges were aimed at misleading the people.

Quoting official documents, the former chief minister pointed out that there has been no reduction in allocation of power between August 2006 and January 31 this year.

Alleging that vested interests were working behind the scene to create an impression that the state was forced to purchase power, Mr Jogi said power worth Rs 1000 crore was purchased last fiscal while electricity worth Rs 800 crore had been purchased this year.

Stating that the Centre had accorded sanction for setting up mega power projects in four states, including Chhattisgarh he said the BJP government, however, created one hurdle or the other in its implementation. ''At one stage it had also demanded power free of cost from this proposed power plant,'' he said.

Mr Jogi said transmission and distribution losses, which was about 18 per cent during the previous regime, has now swelled to about 40 per cent while there has been no improvement in the plant load factor (PLF) which stood at about 75 per cent.

The former chief minister also alleged that work on the ongoing power projects were progressing at snail's pace, while Korba (west) 500 MW plant's work contract could not be awarded even after finalisation of tenders by the previous government more than three years ago.

''If the BJP government fails to publish a white paper, Congress will bring out a fact sheet at an appropriate time'', he added.

UNI