Chhattisgarh and parent state Madhya Pradesh are heading for another battle, this time over the issue of power.The Union Energy Ministry, by allotting 90 MW of Chhattisgarh’s surplus power to Madhya Pradesh without consulting the former, has invited the wrath of the Ajit Jogi government.‘‘It’s sheer injustice to Chhattisgarh,’’ said Jogi, who has already shot off two letters to Union Energy Minister Anant Geete in the past two months, seeking his immediate intervention. Sources said the state is even likely to seek PM A.B. Vajpayee’s intervention if the need arises.Jogi, who was in Bangalore yesterday, asked Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board (CSEB) Chairman Gopal Tiwari and State Power Secretary Ajay Singh to rush to New Delhi and seek withdrawal of the 90 MW of power allotted to Madhya Pradesh. Sources said Tiwari and Singh have already met the Union Energy Secretary. Jogi himself is scheduled to reach Delhi for the National Development Council meeting tomorrow and the sources said he would take up the matter with Central leaders.Tiwari said, ‘‘If the Union Energy Minister refuses to withdraw the 90 MW of power allotted to Madhya Pradesh, we will be forced to seek legal solutions’’. “The power, he said, must first be made available to the state before deciding to give it away to others.‘‘This is a contentious issue and we want it resolved before it blows out of proportion,’’ pitched in Sunil Kumar, State Principal Secretary (Information). Earlier in June this year, Madhya Pradesh was allotted 498 MW of power from Chhattisgarh’s share but the latter got it back the next month. The two states are already engaged in a battle over the sharing of assets and liabilities of the undivided Madhya Pradesh State Electricity Board.
