Sukh Ram woos pvt sector for power projects

SHIMLA, April 20: Promising a better investment culture and time-bound clearances, Himachal's Minister for Public Works and Power Sukh Ram t...

SHIMLA, April 20: Promising a better investment culture and time-bound clearances, Himachal8217;s Minister for Public Works and Power Sukh Ram today invited the private sector to join hands with the government in making the state a 8220;power-house8221; of the country.

Speaking at the inaugural session of the three-day international conference on Hydro-power Development in the Himalayas,8217; Sukh Ram said the attitude of the bureaucracy must change and some mechanism had to be devised to avoid cost over-runs and delays in official clearances for private sector investment projects. Indirectly hitting out at the previous Congress government and also the Centre for cost over-runs and inordinate delay in commissioning of the 1,500 MW Nathpa-Jhakri Hydel Project, Sukh Ram said responsibility needed to be fixed for such a criminal neglect. He recalled that the Nathpa-Jhakri project8217;s cost stood at Rs 600 to 800 crore when approved, but now it would be completed at the cost of Rs 10,000 crore in 2001-2002 with a delay of almost six years.

The conference being organised by the Regional Engineering College, Hamirpur with over a dozen sponsors including HPSEB, was the first in the series, which Sukh Ram hinted would follow to draw up a time-bound action plan for exploitation of the state8217;s hydel potential. He said that in the next conference, to be organised by HPSEB, the Union power minister would be invited to preside over it.

Mincing no words to criticise the Centre and state governments for faulty planning process on hydro-power development, the minister said the state by now would have been the richest in the country, had there been proper planning on execution of hydel projects.

8220;There is no dearth of money. Technology has also improved and what is actually required now is the will to show results,8221; he claimed. Sukh Ram, who identifies himself with the country8217;a telecom revolution, declared that power revolution, which he proposes to bring in Himachal, would even surpass the telecom revolution.

Giving an outline of his proposed action plan Sukh Ram said the state would categorise the hydel projects in two separate blocks. While mini, micro and other medium projects would be developed exclusively for meeting the domestic needs of power in the state, the larger projects, which would be executed either in the private sector or joint venture, would be a source of revenue for the state. The power generated from these projects would be sold to other states.

Sukh Ram strongly protested against the Centre8217;s decision to withdraw subsidy of 50 per cent, which was being granted to the state governments for mini and micro hydel projects.