M A I N   N E W S

Centre says will give more coal to Punjab
Ravi S Singh
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 12
The Central Government today agreed “in principle” to allocate more coal to Punjab power plants with increased generation capacity.

The decision to allocate 100 per cent coal from domestic sources instead of the imported lot was taken at a meeting of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal with Union Coal and Power Minister Piyush Goyal. Badal also urged Goyal to enhance coal linkage to Talwandi Sabo Power Project.

The state, which is landlocked, wants to reduce its dependence on imported coal which increases the production cost of power due to high transportation cost.

It was also agreed to provide Tapering linkage of two lakh tonne per month for Goindwal Sahib Power Plant of GVK, which though complete was not operational as GVK Power had not been able to make its allotted mines functional due to issues related to the Jharkhand Government.

The Chief Minister underscored the need to have a mechanism to facilitate clearance from the Ministries of Railways and Environment for early completion of transmission projects, which otherwise were inordinately delayed, causing huge losses to the state.

Badal also met Union Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and sought special financial package for the state.

The Chief Minister also urged for waiver of Rs 298 crore being demanded by the Ministry of Home Affairs with regard to expenditure incurred on paramilitary forces deployed in the state during the period of militancy from 1980 to 1995.

Requesting waiver of outstanding debt of Rs 1.02 lakh crore with regard to militancy, Badal told Jaitley that Punjab fought the “national battle” for which it should not be penalised any more. He mentioned that he got the debt waived by making “personal” request to the then Prime Minister IK Gujral.

Badal made a case for release of Rs 5,000 crore as non-plan grant for the current financial year till the 13th Finance Commission’s report was out. He also sought Jaitley’s intervention in the settlement of outstanding dues of nearly Rs 1,000 of state procurement agencies pending with the FCI.

The Union Minister is said to have assured Badal of constituting a committee to look into the release of payments due towards the FCI.

RO plants in 1,700 villages

The Union Government has decided to allocate a project worth Rs 671 crore to Punjab under which RO (Reverse Osmosis) plants would be installed in 1,700 villages in three years to ensure supply of potable water to the state.

The decision was taken at a meeting between Badal and Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, who also holds the Rural Development portfolio. The Centre acceded to Punjab’s demand to extend the existing project of four-laning of the National Highway between Ludhiana and Talwandi Bai up to Ferozepur.

Badal seeks special package for Punjab

Badal also met Union Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley and sought special financial package for the state. The Chief Minister also urged for waiver of Rs 298 crore being demanded by the Ministry of Home Affairs with regard to expenditure incurred on paramilitary forces deployed in the state during the period of militancy from 1980 to 1995.