Minister on GEB problems

VADODARA, March 29: Union Energy Minister P Kumarmangalam has assured the Gujarat Electricity Board GEB of all possible help to redress problems faced by it due to supply of low-grade coal and its transportation. The assurance was given when the Board chairman Nalin Bhatt called on him during his recent visit to Gandhinagar.

In a written memorandum, Bhatt said at a time when 90 per cent of the electricity generated was based on coal and an estimated Rs 2,500 crore from the annual budget of Rs 6,000 crore was spent on coal and its transportation, the problems faced by the GEB assumed a lot of importance.

Bhatt complained that the Board was not getting good quality coal from the coal companies and often there were pebbles in the consignments received by the Board. He also informed the minister that the Board had to incurr huge expenditure to get coal from a distance of more than 1,000 kms.