Central teams in Patna to prepare power sector roadmap

PATNA: Three high-powered Central teams arrived here on Wednesday to prepare a roadmap for development of the power sector in Bihar. There are altogether nine members in the three Central teams. Soon after their arrival, the teams held separate meetings with officials of the state energy department, Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) and Bihar Hydroelectric Power Corporation (BHPC). The BSEB gave a 16-page colour booklet on development of the power sector in Bihar to all the team members. At a meeting held here in the conference hall of Vidyut Bhavan, BSEB chairman M M Singh along with senior officials gave a presentation on the power generation scenario in the state. The BSEB, in its booklet, admitted that after bifurcation, Bihar is left with only two old and sick power generation plants at Barauni and Muzaffarpur. The Muzaffarpur plant has been shut down since October 2003 while the unit nos. 4 and 5 of the Barauni plant have been inoperative since 1995-96. As a result, power position in Bihar is very critical and the state is bound to be fully dependent on allocation from the Central sector for meeting its power requirement, which is adversely affecting the overall prospect and prosperity of the state, including its industrial and agricultural growth, the booklet says. The booklet also refers to the power demand, supply and shortage in Bihar (see chart). One of the Central teams comprising S D Dubey, P K Bhadra, B S Negi and V K Tandon discussed in detail the prospects of hydroelectric power generation in Bihar. BHPC managing director L P Sinha told TOI that the team has assured full cooperation in developing a hydroelectric power plant at Dagbara in Supaul district. The team will visit two hydroelectric power project sites at Indrapuri (Dehri-on-Sone) and Barun in Aurangabad on Thursday for on-the-spot verification. The three Central teams will hold a joint wrap-up meeting with the officials concerned before leaving for Delhi on June 16. On the basis of the joint meeting, the teams will chalk out the roadmap for development of the power sector in the state, said another official.

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RANJAN RITURAJ SINH