Chief Minister reviews power scenario in Punjab

Chandigarh, Mar 9 (UNI) Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today reviewed the power scenario in the State and directed the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) to chalk out a time bound strategy to increase the generation capacity in the state by another 5,000 MWs in line with his party's poll promise in addition to the existing total capacity of 6,088 MWs.

Presiding over a high level meeting to take stock of the power situation in the state, Mr Badal said that all out efforts would be made by the state government to generate additional capacity in a phased manner to ensure quality and uninterrupted power supply to both agriculture and industrial consumers. He asked the PSEB to focus its attention to make Punjab from the power deficit to surplus state as it was the core sector for over all development, and to evolve a policy to allot the tube well connections to the small farmers upto five acres on the priority basis.

Taking part in the deliberations PSEB Chairman Y S Rattra apprised the Chief Minister about the plans to purchase power for the ensuing Kharif season and the industrial and domestic sectors.

Later, a nine-member delegation led by G V K Reddy, Chairman of GVK Industries Ltd. called on Mr Badal and assured him that their prestigious 600 MWs power plant at Sri. Goindwal Sahib would become operational by September 2010.

Prominent amongst other who were present in the meeting included Manoranjan Kalia, Local Government and Industries Minister, Chief Secretary Ramesh Inder Singh, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Suresh Kumar, Power Secretary A.S. Chhattawal, Secretary Expenditure Arun Goel, Anurag Aggarwal, Member Finance, Member Generation PSEB H.M. Jain.

UNI