MP Congress demands govt issue white paper on power problem

Bhopal, Sep 11 (UNI) Expressing concern over the ''pitiable power situation'' in the state, Madhya Pradesh Congress Committee president Suresh Pachouri today demanded the state government issue a white paper.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr Pachouri alleged that the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government was selling electricity to the other states and in the past four years the state government had sold electricity of to the tune of Rs 409 crore. He said the BJP-led government was blaming the Centre by curtailing the power, which it received from the Centre.

He said that the state government had not set up a single power plant during its four and half year-tenure. ''On the contrary, the government is taking credit of increasing 2430 MW hydel power and 500 MW thermal power. But in reality, the credit for enhancement of power prodcution should be given to the previous Congress government, which set those power projects,'' he claimed.

The state Congress chief also alleged that the state government had allotted 220 acres of land, which cost around Rs 500 to 600 crore, to various pet organisation at a throwaway price within one year. He demanded a probe by the Lokayukt on the'land scam' issue.

He also criticised Mr Chouhan's 'Jan Ashirvad Rally', whcih, he alleged, was being sponsored by the state government. '' The Chief Minister is misusing the government machinery to reap the harvest in the next Assembly polls,'' Mr Pachouri alleged.

On the implementation of Sixth Pay Commission's report from Septmeber 1, Mr Pachouri said the government was yet to issue a notification in this regard.

He also raised question about the transparency in coal distribution by the state government to various plants and alleged there was a huge discrepancy in the distribution system.

Talking about the recent incident of violence in the state including the setting afire a church in Ratlam district, Mr Pachouri expressed doubts about the involvement of one watchman in the incident as claimed by the police.

''We have sent a probe team to the place where the Church was set afire. The team had found that circumstantial evidences showed that one person cannot do such a thing. The attack was done by more than one person,'' he said and demanded a thorough probe by a High Court Judge into the incident. He also demanded a narco test of the arrested watchman.

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