Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 25: While the State Government is putting all out efforts to get Dulhasti, Salal and Uri-II Hydel Power Projects transferred from NHPC to J&K Government, the State has received over Rs 2,400 crore on account of water usage charges from Corporation.
In a reply to a question of NC member Bashir Ahmed Veeri in the Upper House of the J&K Legislature today, the Minister of State for Power Mohammad Ashraf Mir today said in Legislative Council that Rs 2,472.37 crore has been received from NHPC as water usage charges imposed in financial year 2010-11.
While intervening on the supplementary question of the member, Minister for Horticulture Abdul Rehman Veeri said that power management is a big challenge and Government is making efforts to solve it on priority.
He informed the House that efforts are being made for return of Dul Hasti, Salal and Uri-I hyderoelectric power projects to the State.
Mr Mir earlier said that a Cabinet Sub-Committee was constituted to look into various issues associated with transfer of power projects to the State which recommended seeking return of Salal, Uri-I and Dul Hasti projects to the State apart from those transferred to NHPC vide Memorandum of Understanding of July 2007.
The minister further said that J&K State Power Development Corporation (PDC) was authorised to work out present cost of these projects on the basis of internationally accepted norms.
In reply to yet another question Mir said DPC has been allocated coal block at Kundnali Lubri in Odisha, jointly with NTPC with an allocated geological reserve of 130 and 266 Million Tonnes respectively. He said the Union Ministry of Coal has put a condition that allotment letter shall be issued to the joint venture company to be formed by the joint allottees and not to individual parties.
Mr Mir said in view of the decisions of Board of Directors of JKSPDC engaged M/s SBICAPS as consultants to carry out the viability and sensitivity analysis of various options. He said SBICAPS has furnished a report according to which with a coal availability of 3.40 Million Tonnes per annum, the installed capacity works out to be 660MW (Supercritical unit), however, net financial impact by locating the project in J&K vis-à-vis Odisha is estimated at Rs 700 crore per annum which translates to over Rs 18,000 crore over the lifetime of the project.
The minister said that draft joint venture agreement has been cleared by the State Law Department; however, formal signing of the agreement is yet to take place.
Ghulam Nabi Monga, Naresh Kumar Gupta, Ajay Sadhotra and Jugal Kishore raised supplementaries to the main question.
Mr Mir while replying to a yet another question of Surinder Choudhary (PDP) in the House said that in district Rajouri, 104 un-electrified habitations have been completed under the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidhutikaran Yojana (RGGVY).
He said all the left over un-electrified areas/habitations are being included under the Deendyal Upadhyaya Grameen Joyti Yojana (DDUGJY). The member however, contested that reply was not up to the mark and he was not satisfied.
Jugal Kishore, Dr Shehnaz Ganai, Vibodh Gupta and Surinder Choudhary raised supplementaries to the question.
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