Naveen seeks allocation of 300 MW power from Central share

Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today urged Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde to allocate 300 MW of power from the Central unallocated share of the Eastern Region to meet the power crisis.

Orissa, considered to be a power surplus state, was presently facing acute shortage of at least 500 MW of power as the generation from the hydel units had been severely affected due to a sharp decline of water level in most of the reservoirs.

Mr Patnaik, who met Mr Shinde during his visit to Delhi
, requested him to restore the balance of 500 MW of power, the state had earlier surrendered to the Centre from its allocated share from the NTPC power plant at Kanhia stage II, for ensuring an uninterrupted power supply in the state.

The Chief Minister expressed his concern over the abysmal performance of the Central public sector undertakings in implementing the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Viduyutkaran Yojana (RGGVY), considered as critical to energise and develop rural Orissa.

Official sources here said the Union Minister had assured the Chief Minister to consider yet another ultra mega thermal power project for the coastal areas in the state and direct the central PSUs to complete all programmed villages under the RGGVY within a definite timeframe.