Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 5: Minister of State for Power Vikar Rasool today said State Government is buying back three power projects in the State operated by National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC).
The Minister while replying to a question raised by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) MLA, Abdul Rehman Veeri, in Legislative Assembly said that the Government has handed over the Cabinet Sub-Committee report to the NHPC on buying back the Dulhasti, Salal and Uri-I project.
Vikar said the State Government had sought the depreciated value of the power projects and the details of the assets present there. “However, these details have not been provided by the NHPC so far. Once we get the value of these projects, the government will take steps for arranging the money for buying back these projects,” he said.
Rasool said the State Government has engaged consultants and carried out a detailed valuation of these projects also.
The Minister informed that NHPC has realized revenue to the extent of Rs. 3834.59 crore from the State out of which Rs 855.531 crore were realized through Salal Project, Rs 842.252 crore through Dulhasti and Rs 2136.82 through Uri, HEP from 1997-98 to 2012-13.
Taj Mohi-ud-Din, who was the Irrigation and Flood Control Minister till January, informed the House that the State has earned Rs 925 crore from water usage charges levied on power projects. “Out of this Rs 700 crore has been earned from NHPC and rest from Power Development Corporation of State Government”, he added.
Taj said that the earning will increase by another Rs 210 crore with the commissioning of the Uri-II power project.
The Government enacted the Water usage law with the aim of generating funds for buying back power projects from the NHPC and for investing in new power projects in the State.
Taj said that after the completion of the Wullar barrage the water discharge availability for the power projects on Jhelum will increase from 12 per cent to 70 percent. This will increase the water usage charges by Rs 70 crore annually.
Vikar said that for improvement of HT/LT network the Government has allocated Rs. 1 crore to each district which also would cater to the problem of Bijbehara constituency. He, however, said the improvement of HT/LT network and damaged transformers in all the area is a continuous process and is being attended to in a phased manner within the available sources of funding which includes CDF grants besides State, District Plans and CSS programmes.
The Minister said that construction of 1×6.3 MVA Receiving Station costing Rs. 205.72 lakh has been recently cleared by TEC and work would be taken up after availability of funds.
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