UP wants 90 pc of power generated by proposed NTPC plant

Lucknow, July 6 (UNI) The Centre was actively considering the demand of the Uttar Pradesh government to provide it with 90 per cent of the power to be generated by a power project the latter was setting up with the help of National Thermal Power Corpotration (NTPC) at Allahabad.

Replying to a question in the state assembly, state Energy minister Ramveer Upadhaya said NTPC has agreed to give only 75 per cent of the power to be generated in the new plant of 1320 megawatt capacity against the state's demand of 90 per cent.

He said, Chief Minister Mayawati had met Prime minister Manmohan Singh and NTPC chairman for early start of the power project and to accept UP's demand of 90 per cent share of the power generated.

''Now the Centre will have to consider the demand of the state and it will be done very soon'', he assured the members.

The new power plant costing around Rs 5000 crore will be set up in the joint sector between UP and NTPC at Shankargarh in Allahabad district.

In another question, the minister said that all the faulty transformers will be replaced within 72 hours in the state.

However, the opposition members protested over the comment of the energy minister saying that power roastering in Eastern Uttar Pradesh was due to power theft in that region.

Later Mr Upadhaya said that his statement should not be taken otherwise as power theft is one of the major reason for shortage of power in the state.

UNI