M A I N   N E W S

Joint hydel projects mooted
Accord among Punjab, Haryana, HP
From Chander Parkash
Tribune News Service

LEHRAMOHABAT (Bathinda), July 4 — Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh have agreed in principle to set up joint hydroelectric projects in Himachal Pradesh.

Reliable sources said senior officials, including chairmen of the state electricity boards of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal at a meeting held in Shimla recently discussed setting up some selective projects jointly.

Mr G.S. Sohal, Chairman of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB), who was here today to preside over a function organised in connection with a vanamahotsava while talking to mediapersons confirmed the meeting had been held at Shimla regarding the setting up of a joint hydel project.

He added that at present about 7000 MW electricity was being produced against the total potential of 20,000 MW in HP. He said joint hydro-electric projects discussed with the state electricity board authorities of Haryana and Himachal would be implemented only after the state government gave sanction in this regard.

He said the PSEB would also make arrangements to purchase power from those hydroelectric projects of Himachal which were being run by private parties.

He said the hike made in the tariff of electricity was done to generate the income of the PSEB. He added that interests of all sections of consumers were kept in mind when the hike was made. He claimed that Punjab was only state in the country where electricity was being supplied at subsidised rates to the domestic consumers.

Mr Sohal said the Punjab Government had also agreed to give Rs 200 crore to the PSEB to compensate it for supplying free electricity to the farmers for agriculture. This action of the state government would bring a big relief for the PSEB.

The Chairman pointed out that there were about three lakh applications for a tubewell connection which were lying pending with the PSEB. He added that in the current year about 25,000 tubewell connections would be given. For paddy season, about 36,000 temporary tubewell connections had been given to farmers.

To meet the daily demand of 1100 lakh units of electricity, the PSEB was meeting 40 per cent of its demand from other states.

Mr Sohal said that for renovation and modernisation of Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant (GNDTP) a project report was being prepared and Rs 300 crore would be spent on it. The renovation and modernisation when completed would increase the life of GNDTP by 15 years.