Still keen on nuclear plant: Badal

The government has been taking conflicting stands on the setting up of a nuclear plant in the state,initially opposing it,owing to the high density of population in the state. However,after Haryana and other states bagged a nuclear plant,the state government also demanded one. Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal has,however,also claimed that with new thermal plants coming up,a time would come when the state would not require a nuclear plant. Today,the CM said the state would reiterate its demand for a nuclear plant before the PM.

Earlier,at a public rally held at the local grain market after the foundation stone laying ceremony,Badal announced that power would turn cheaper and be supplied uninterrupted once the envisaged power projects in the state began production. He said after the 19,80 MW Talwandi Sabo thermal plant and the 540 MW Goindwal power plant,work on the Rajpura thermal plant had also started,and would be completed in four years at a cost of Rs 9,000 crore by Larsen and Toubro.

Lashing out at the Congress for not increasing power production for many years,Badal put the blame of long power cuts on the party. “Our regime has started work on three mega power projects in three years of its rule,” he said. The chief minister said Punjab was also working on saving 1550 MW power through use of CFL and other measures,besides tapping energy from non-conventional resources.

Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal said he hoped a day would come when 24-hour power supply would be a reality in the state.

The Deputy CM also announced the government’s decision to enact a law to recover the cost of damaged public property from those involved in violent protests. He said that anybody vandalising public property would have to pay for it even that meant auctioning the rioters’ property.

Larsen and Toubro chairman A M Naik announced that the project would come up earlier than the stipulated 48-month period. He also gave another proposal to the state government for expanding the Rajpura plant in future to add another 660 MW at a cost of Rs 4,500 crore,which the CM said would be examined.

The Rajpura thermal plant would come up over 1,080 acres in Nalash village at a cost of Rs 9,000 crore. As per the allotment conditions,Larsen and Toubro is to supply power to PSEB at Rs 2.89 per unit for the next 25 years.

Local Government Minister Manoranjan Kalia,Rajpura MLA Raj Khurana,District SAD President Ajaib Singh Mukhmailpur,SAD general secretaries Balwinder Singh Bhunder and Prem Singh Chandumajra,and SAD Secretary General SAD Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa also addressed the rally. PSEB chairman H S Brar and ministers Janmeja Singh Sekhon,Hira Singh Gabria,Swarna Ram and Ajit Singh Kohar were also present.

Farmers protest
Farmers of seven villages where land has been acquired for the thermal plant came out to protest with black flags,seeking compensation equivalent to market rates for village shamlat land. About 500 acres of shamlat have been acquired for the thermal plant in Sural Khurd,Sural Kalan,Rai Majra,Sandrour,Nalesh Khurd and Nalesh Kalan and Rangian villages.