BHUBANESWAR: Orissa has urged the Centre to extend a special package of Rs.2000 crores on the pattern provided to Bihar for improving the transmission and distribution sectors.

Speaking at a Conference of Chief Ministers on Power Sector at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, Mr. Patnaik said it was ironical that the Centre was talking about reforms in power sector and at the same time denying the legitimate incentive to Orissa, the only State that had completed the reform process.

He stressed that the aggregate technical and commercial losses could not be reduced to the ideal level of 15 per cent unless substantial investment was made in power infrastructure.

He said since as many as 50 lakh households of Orissa did not have access to electricity, it was logical that the State should receive a substantial allocation of funds from the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY).

"While states like Uttar Pradesh have received Rs. 2,357 crores, Bihar Rs. 852 crores and Uttaranchal Rs. 337 crores, Orissa has got only Rs.67 crores under the RGGVY for only two districts out of the total of 30 districts in the state," Mr. Patnaik pointed out.

New initiative

"There has been inordinate delay in implementation of the programme which has necessitated the new initiative of Biju Gram Jyoti Programme in Orissa," the Chief Minister maintained.

Pointing out that the present regulatory framework put a cap of 4 paise per unit for inter-State sale of electricity, he said, "the power producing states should be allowed to leverage their natural advantage and no artificial restrictions whatsoever should be imposed for the benefit of more prosperous consuming states." In the name of being consumer friendly, the rate of sale of power should not be such as to demotivate the power producing States, the Chief Minister said.

He urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to have a legislation enabling the power producing states to levy duty on generation of power and to access concessional power.

Mr. Patnaik also demanded that Centre should allocate coal blocks in expeditious manners as the State had entered into memorandum of understanding with 13 companies to set up thermal power plants with a total projected capacity of about 17,000 MW.

Besides private companies, 5 PSUs of Orissa had also drawn up plans to set up power plants, he said. Moreover, the State Government had floated 3 shell companies to set up mini-ultra power projects and they were ready to select partners provided they were allocated coal blocks, the Chief Minister said.

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