Chief Minister Harish Rawat laid the foundation stone for two solar power plants with total capacity of 5.864 MW at a programme organised in the Dhakrani Koti Colony on Monday. The Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam limited (UJVNl) will be setting up these solar power plants- a 1.466 MW plant at Dhakrani costing Rs 12 crore and 4.398 MW plan at Khodri costing Rs 37 crore.
Speaking on the occasion, the CM said that the occasion was a major step taken towards alternate energy. He said, “The UJVNl should take this initiative further. The corporation can set up solar power plants along its canals on a large scale. Our aim is to start generation of 50 to 60 MW solar energy in one year. At present our hydro electric projects are stalled whereas hydro electricity is also green energy. If the problem of rehabilitation is resolved properly, even big dams do not damage the environment. A uniform policy should be implemented in all the mountain States including, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and north eastern States. I expect the Centre will support Uttarakhand on this issue. If the Central Government allocates coal block or gas to Uttarakhand, the State is prepared to develop thermal power generation,” said the Chief Minister.
Rawat further said that the Vikasnagar area could set examples for the State in the fields of agriculture, horticulture, floriculture and animal husbandry among others. While expending on developmental works, new avenues for income generation will also have to be identified. The CM also made various announcements for the Vikasnagar area on the occasion. Responding to a request of the Vikasnagar MlA Navprabhat, Rawat said that the Pachwadoon bottleneck will be resolved through construction of flyover at Premnagar or through some other means.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Navprabhat said that the solar power plants would prove to be a developmental milestone for Vikasnagar area. Stating that provision should be made for providing employment to local youth in projects under construction in Vikasnagar, the MlA opined that youth could be imparted training in the solar plant.
Principal secretary Umakant Panwar said that presently, work on 24 big hydro electric projects in Uttarakhand has been stalled though these projects had been accorded all types of clearances. This is one of the reasons why solar power generation is being accorded importance. Presently, the State’s solar power generation capacity is 46 MW, he added. UJVNl managing director SN Verma said that power generated through the solar power plants in Dhakrani and Khodri will be utilised only for Uttarakhand. The deadline for completing construction of these plants has been fixed at March 31, 2016,
he informed.