The relief accorded to the Maharashtra to resolve the power crisis, seems to have alienated the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Chhattisgarh. | |
| Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has accused the central government of discriminating against the state, by diverting power meant for it to Maharashtra. |
| |
| In a letter to Union Power Minister PM Sayeed, Singh said despite protests, 288 Mw of the central quota power was withdrawn from the state in November. "This is despite the fact that it constitutes nearly 30 per cent of the state's peak demand, and creates an energy deficiency of 500-600 Mw," Raman said in his letter. |
| |
| The latest injury done to the state, according to Singh is a further withdrawal of 95 Mw of power from the unallocated quota, allocated to Chhattisgarh "without even consulting the state government". He said it was a blatant case of favouring one state at the cost of other. |
| |
| "Chhattisgarh was formed only four years ago and an acute power crisis may trigger a flight of capital from the state. We need power for agriculture and industry," the chief minister said. The BJP said step motherly treatment was being meted out to a Chhattisgarh and demanded that the state be restored its rightful share of power. |
| |
| The Maharashtra chief minister who is returning with a promise of power looked relieved today as the state is also reeling under an acute power crisis. |
| |
| The Centre assured the CM that it would provide as much as 1,210 Mw of electricity, including 610 Mw at normal rates to tide over the situation. |
| |
| An assurance to this effect was given by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh after a 40-minute meeting which deliberated on short-term measures to address the problem. |
| |
| Deshmukh told reporters that of the 610 MW , 300 MW would come from Kawas project in Gujarat and 250 MW from Tarapur nuclear power plant. |
| |
| The BJP termed it as step motherly treatment being meted out to a state ruled by them and demanded that Chhattisgarh too be restored its rightful share of power. |
| |
| "We are one with chief minister Raman Singh on this matter, and demand that state's needs be looked at with as much sympathy as a Congress ruled state," said V K Malhotra, BJP Parliamentary Party spokesperson here today. |
| |
|
| |
