The Hindu : National : Vasundhara’s power supply claim false: MLA

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Sunday, Oct 07, 2007
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Vasundhara’s power supply claim false: MLA

Special Correspondent

Four major power units lying defunct

CM made tall claims with an eye on the Assembly elections
Units producing less that eight per cent of the capacity

JAIPUR: A Congress MLA here on Saturday accused Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje of misleading the people of Rajasthan on power production and availability of electricity to farmers, saying four major power units established after 2003 at a cost of Rs. 2,047 crore were lying defunct as a result of corruption and use of substandard technology.

Chandrashekhar Baid, the Congress MLA from Taranagar, said in a statement that three units of the gas-based Dholpur power plant and one unit of the lignite-based Giral power plant, established during the Bharatiya Janata Party regime, were producing less that eight per cent of the 455 MW power originally projected, leading to a financial loss of Rs. 358 crore to the State.

“Ms. Raje, while covering up the failure of these units, made tall claims of power production and round-the-clock electric supply to villages at a conference of sarpanches here recently with an eye on the coming Assembly elections,” said Dr. Baid.

Dr. Baid, a former spokesperson of the Pradesh Congress Committee, said the State Government would not be able to supply sufficient power to farmers during the rabi crop season despite Ms. Raje’s announcement of purchasing Rs. 1,200 crore worth of electricity as the ruling BJP had been deceiving the farmers on electricity production and distribution ever since it came to power.

Govt. buying power

In fact, the State Government is buying additional power at a cost of Rs. 3 crore a day because of the failure of the Dholpur and Giral power plants. Dr. Baid said the BJP-led Government’s claim of producing 2,685 MW additional power by 2008 was “false and deceptive” because the Government itself was reconsidering new projects in view of previous failures.

Dr. Baid demanded that Ms. Raje make public the figures of electricity units produced in the power stations established during her rule and apologise to the people of the State for losses worth crores of rupees.

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