The opposition led by BJP and BSP created din in the Vidhan Sabha on Wednesdayover prevailing power crisis leading to walkout as state government claimed that many projects have been launched to increase power generation as well as streamline its distribution.
“The Government is committed to improve power scenario of the state. New thermal power units are on the anvil while Government is also working use non-conventional methods to improve power generation,” Minister of State for power Yasir Shah said during question hour here on Wednesday.
Dissatisfied with the government’s reply BJP staged a noisy walkout from the House, while BSP members went into the well of the House to register their protest.
The opposition BJP and the BSP members said that several VVIP districts like Kannauj, Etawah, Mainpuri, Rampur and Azamgarh are getting 24 hours power due to political reasons while rest of the state is reeling under acute power crisis.
Satish Mahana (BJP) said that Government claims 3013 MW of electricity is generated in UP. Government is silent of power generation in 2012 but always claim that it has plan to increase power production.
“If Government has plans it should tell how much energy was generated in 2012 and how much is generated now,” Mahana asked.
As the minister remained silent on this issue the BJP and BSP members raised anti-government slogans for telling lies.
The minister claimed that government was supplying electricity for 10 hours in the villages, 12 hrs in tehsils, 15 hrs in district headquarters, 18 hrs in division headquarters and 20 hours in big towns and 24 hours in Taj Trapezium zone.
He also said that government was committed to give 24 hours power by 2016. “We have made promise to the people that villages will get 18-20 hour electricity in villages and 22-24 hour in cities. We are working to achieve this target,” he said.
The minister said the state is generating 3103 mw of power through thermal and hydro power projects of the government in the state and the Plant load Factor (PlF) is 63.38 per cent.He said that eight units of the thermal power projects and over nine hydro-projects are non-functional at present due to maintenance works or for up-gradation.
Meanwhile, in another question, the government said that the power line loss in the state was decreasing gradually as it has come down to 24.64 per cent in 2014-15 (till November) when it was 27.62 per cent in 2011-12. In the last two years, the line loss has come down by over 2.5 per cent, the minister said during question hour.