Losses due to delay avoidable, says NTPC founding chairman

Cost of delayed projects, especially in the power sector, runs into "lakhs of crores", which is which is completely "avoidable", state-run NTPC's founding chairman D V Kapur said here today.
He was speaking at a panel discussion on his book 'The Bloom in the Desert: The Making of NTPC' at the Observer Research Foundation here.
"Cost of delayed projects, especially in the power sector, runs into lakhs of crores which is completely avoidable.
"If you include the states the cost would go up manifold. But there is absolutely no mention of this issue in our discourse despite having a vibrant media and political system," Kapur said.

He received handsome praise from Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb, who was also present on the occasion.
Reminiscing the early days of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Kapur said that the power major bucked the conventional notion about the public sector by successfully producing power projects and "power leaders".
"Conditions were more difficult than what we are having today...We not only commissioned projects on time but also met cost and quality targets," he said.