Inaugurating the state’s largest solar power project in Jalaun on Wednesday, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said that the state has taken a quantum leap in making UP self-sufficient in the power sector and there is hope that urban areas will start getting electricity 24x7 from April this year.
To be set up over 250 acres of land in Kuhana and Sahajahanpur villages, the Jalaun plant will have state-of-the-art technology and would be constructed by the Essel Infraprojects limited (EIl) at an estimated cost of Rs 450 crore. The plant is expected to generate 85 million units per year and will be linked to 132 KV Sarsela-Kalpi substations and supply power to to over 5 lakh people.
“The Bundelkhand region would turn into a solar power hub very soon. After setting up thermal power stations, the government is now moving towards solar energy. Soon we will have adequate power to supply urban areas of the state round the clock by April, while rural areas would get 18 hours of power supply daily,” Yadav said while addressing a gathering in Chauk village of Jalaun.
Elaborating on his government’s resolve to make Bundelkhand a power-hub, Chief Ministers said that a 660 mw plant would come up at lalitpur, a 250 mw plant in Parichcha, Jhansi and 50 mw solar unit in Mahoba. “Now, we have a 50 MW solar power plant in Jalaun. This region will soon start supply power to other regions of the state,” the CM said
Yadav said that his government plans to take UP to a new height but was not getting support from the Centre. “The NDA government has set up NITI Aayog which is causing severe financial losses to UP. The Planning Commission used to sanction funds as per population but Niti Ayog is not doing so. The UP government now has to spend its own funds which could have been chanelled to other development schemes,” he said.
He said that the BJP was raking up communal issues like Ram Temple, conversion and cow slaughter as it can not find faults with the UP government. He did not spare BSP chief Mayawati either, pointing out that only memorials and parks were built saying that during her regime.
“Bua ji (read Mayawati) siphoned off funds in the name of check dams in Bundelkhand. These exist only on papers. The BSP regime set up Agriculture University in Banda but did not arrange for irrigation in the region.”
Expressing concern, the CM announced that his government would provide funds separately for the development of Bundelkhand so that no development work is paralysed.
On the occasion, Yadav also laid the foundation of 106 projects and inaugurated 36 projects in the region. later, the CM drove to Hamirpur from Jalaun and stopped at two places to interact with the locals