Akhilesh Yadav inaugurates energy projects worth Rs 1,200 crore

Says on course to providing 24 hour and 16 hour uninterrupted electricity supply in the urban and rural areas respectively by 2016-17

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Monday inaugurated 200 power sub-stations built at a cost of Rs 1,200 crore.

He said his government had been making efforts on power front and was on course to provide 24-hour and 16-hour uninterrupted electricity supply in the urban and rural areas, respectively, by 2016-17.

“Our energy sector roadmap has been lauded even by Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal as progressing in the right direction,” Yadav said.

On November 3, Yadav had met Goyal in New Delhi. He sought Rs 15,000 crore from the Centre for various energy projects. The meeting perceptibly broke the ice between the central and the state government.

At the meeting, the Centre assured to provide independent coal blocks worth 300-400 million tonnes to the state. This will help Uttar Pradesh thermal power plants, which have been facing coal supply constraints over the past several months, forcing them to operate at sub-optimal capacity.

Yadav further censured rampant power theft and illegal connections in the state.

Meanwhile, Yadav said certain developmental works were not explicitly visible, such as upgrading transmission network. He said, “Though, Samajwadi Party has surged ahead in development works, it trails in publicising its achievements.”

Last month, Samajwadi Party President Mulayam Singh Yadav had publicly admonished the Akhilesh government for failing to complete projects in time.

He had asked ministers to apprise him within two weeks of the most important works/projects completed by their respective ministry.

However, the state government and administrative machinery has speeded up pending projects, including Lucknow Metro Rail, IT City and the Agra-Lucknow Expressway.