By IANS,
Lucknow : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav Friday shot off two letters to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking his help in expediting BHEL’s power projects in the state.
He also sought the prime minister’s help seeking grant of coal linkage to the proposed 660-MW Harduaganj Extension thermal power project.
Akhilesh requested the prime minister to issue directions to the ministries of heavy industries and coal to cooperate and help resolve the state’s power shortage.
According to sources, in his letter to the prime minister, the chief minister pointed out the laxity of Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) in implementing the Harduaganj Extension and Parichha Extension (500 MW) and the delay in Anpara-D (1000 MW) project which was scheduled start in July 2011.
All the projects were awarded to BHEL on the basis of a single offer.
Similarly, refurbishment and modernisation of Obra-B (5×200 MW), Obra’s 100 MW Unit 7 and Harduaganj’s 110 MW unit has also been delayed, said the letter.
The letter said capacity augmentation and refurbishment of three Obra units with 200 MW capacity each was lagging behind since BHEL was supposed to complete them in 2008.
Akhilesh reminded the prime minister of a communication in April and a secretary-level meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office in July, wherein chief secretary and the infrastructure and industrial development commissioner had requested to speed up work on these projects.
The letter said work on Harduaganj power generation units 8 and 9 (250 MW each) and Parichha’s 250 MW unit 6 was in the final stages of completion and if BHEL sped up work, an additional 750 MW would be available to Uttar Pradesh within a month.
In the second letter, he requested the prime minister to give directions to the coal ministry to grant coal linkage to the 660-MW unit 1 of Harduaganj Extension project.
Without a coal linkage, the project has been unable to get a clearance from environment department.
Referring to pending coal linkage to this project, for which Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Ltd had applied to the coal ministry in September 2009, the letter said the matter had been taken up with the ministry and the Central Electricity Authority but without any success.