Dimapur, June 3 (MExN): Former Finance minister K Therie today said industries are rushing to Meghalaya state because it has cheap and uninterrupted power supply. Responding to the Power department’s explanation that a proposed thermal power plant in Dimapur was scrapped due to it being economically unviable, the Congress reminded that the poor people want bare minimum uninterrupted power supply so hospitals and small scale industries can run as much as to relieve one from soaring temperatures and blackouts.
“So the buck stops at ‘highly uneconomical’. The comment of Planning Commission of ‘Highly Uneconomical’ is not the answer to growth of domestic and commercial requirement of power supply,” Therie stated. “Industries are rushing to Meghalaya for cheap uninterrupted power supply. Further, when other thermal power stations can run in the nation, why not in Nagaland?”
The Congress leader said thermal power stations are the “quickest method” to resolve the problem. “Provided proper planning is done, 100MW thermal power stations can be set up within 18 months. The state is welfare government; it cannot go by business principles strictly. It should subsidize if necessary.”
Therie narrated his discussions with the Power department of Nagaland and former Union Minister of Power the Late PM Kumarmangalam for 100MW thermal station, with four engines of 25MW. “We had also discussed the need to augment with 25MW each time to meet the growing requirements. This was initiated to meet the bare requirements and therefore whatever was the cost of running and maintenance was not the major issue. Understanding the price rise of oil, coal base option was also considered in view of coal availability in the state,” the former NPF minister stated.
“If TPS is out of option for DAN government, government of the day should negotiate with Union Minister of Power. Government of India is adding over 10,000MW every year. Allotting 100MW for a state should not be very difficult provided transmission lines can carry the load or otherwise, surely GOI will give an alternative.”
The Congress government at Delhi will not allow the people of Nagaland to starve in the power sector, Therie said. Here, he said the entire issue has to do with concern and political will. Justifying failures without providing uninterrupted power supply is not the answer to the suffering of public.”
Wondering why Nagaland’s chief minister had to talk about the rich and the poor, Therie said “no doubt everyone knows that CM is the richest man. We are not comparing ourselves with him in any manner. He surely has generators in all his residences. We surely cannot behave like him or vice versa.”
