BHUBANESWAR: The Biju Janata Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party Government came under severe criticism in the State Assembly on Friday for its failure to provide electricity to thousands of revenue villages and other human habitations.

Legislators cutting across party lines blamed Energy Minister Surya Narayan Patro for not being able to keep his promises made in the past for achieving the target.

Expressing concern over the dismal performance of the Energy Department with regard to rural electrification, several senior legislators of the ruling Biju Janata Dal, including Damodar Rout and Pradeep Maharathi, said it was high time the authorities should look into the reasons behind non-implementation of different schemes.

Electricity supply was yet to be restored to around 80 villages which had lost electricity supply due to the damage caused by the 1999 super-cyclone, Dr. Rout said. Despite preparation of estimations long ago, nothing had been done so far, he said.

Mr. Maharathi blamed Mr. Patro for making tall promises time and again and announcing time schedules for achieving different targets with regard to ensure electricity supply to villages and hamlets without any results.

The legislators were participating in the discussion on an adjournment motion moved by Congress legislator Satya Bhushan Sahu blaming the alliance government for its failure to implement the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY).

In reply to the motion, Mr. Patro said `the projected habitations to be electrified under the RGGVY come to 56189 (un-electrified villages 18,222 and other 37,967), and the rural households including BPL proposed to be covered under RGGVY for electrification tentatively comes to 49,97,217 in all 30 districts.'' The Minister said the State government had already sent detailed project reports (DPRs) of 29 districts except Nawrangpur to the Centre. However, so far three districts such as Angul, Nayagarh and Jajpur had been accorded final sanction and DPRs of Balasore, Bhadrak, Ganjam, Gajapati and Puri had been accorded in principle sanction, he said The amount estimated in the DPR for all 30 districts comes to Rs 4,140 crore, Mr. Patro told the House.

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