Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today called on the Union Minister of Power Sushil Kumar Shinde to seek his personal intervention in allocation of atleast 500 MW power from the unallocated quota of Central Sector generation stations from June to September for ensuring 8-hour uninterrupted power supply to the agriculture sector during the current Paddy season.
Taking part in the deliberations during a meeting with Shinde in his office ‘Sharam Shakti Bhawan’ at New Delhi this morning, the Chief Minister apprised him that Punjab being a border state was also bound to ensure uninterrupted power supply for lighting of the fence area along international border and other sensitive installations for security reasons. To meet the power demand of the state, his government had already initiated several power projects in a big way and around 3920 MW capacity addition was under advance state of construction and subsequently the state would be self sufficient in power within the next two years. Badal pointed out till that time our dependence on the external sources would remain. He further said that the share of Punjab in BBMB had also been reduced by 95 MW as per the orders of Supreme Court of India and power projects in the central sector viz. the Ultra Mega Projects Mundra and Bawana gal plant have only been partly commissioned. In the light of these circumstances, the Chief Minister however, said that Punjab would be in dire need of the maximum power from the unallocated power of the central sector projects. He also informed Shinde that out of country’s total unallocated power of 1750 MW, Punjab was allocated 285 MW last year. Reiterating his demand, Badal urged the Union Power Minister to immediately allot 500 MW from unallocated quota for the current Paddy season, as the Uttar Pradesh had already been allotted 300 MW this year. Shinde assured the Chief Minister of positive response on the maximum allocation of power from unallocated quota in view of state’s huge requirement of power for Rabi season. The Union Power Minister reiterated that the state farmers would not be allowed to suffer due to shortage of power during the ensuing paddy season as Punjab was the major contributor of food grain in the national pool and deserved special dispensation for unallocated power from the Central Sector Generating Stations. The Chief Minister was accompanied by his Special Principal Secretary Gaggandip Singh Brar.