Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh on Saturday directed Energy Department officials to fast track efforts for significantly increasing solar power supply footprint in State’s red zones in Bastar region.
He directed officials to provide solar energy-based power supply to 351 villages of Abujhmarh region in insurgency-infested Narayanpur district of Bastar as early as possible, officials informed.
Singh was speaking at meeting of the Bastar and Southern Region Tribal Development Authority and Surguja and Northern Region Tribal Development Authority at the Mantralaya here.
He said the target is to provide solar powered irrigation pumps to 11,000 farmers. The farmers in the Bastar and Surguja Development Authority regions will be benefitted with the proposal.
The Chief Minister stressed upon the need to provide solar power to the unelectrified villages . Farmers will be provided electricity for irrigation pumps. Defunct hand-pumps will be repaired as soon as possible.
About 320 farmers had received approval for this in Surguja Authority region in the year 2015-2016. Out of this 324 farmers had been provided with electricity for the unused pumps.
Singh ordered the district collectors of these two Development Authorities to inspect the Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes Development Department operated Ashrams and hostels at regular intervals. The district collectors were instructed to pay special attention to drinking water facilities and toilets. The top district officials should comply with regular visits to all the hostels. The collectors should personally inspect the hostels and instruct the senior officials to monitor the conditions closely.
Singh called upon the district collectors to redress the issues pertaining to the Forest Dwellers' Rights of patta holders in their areas of jurisdiction.
He directed the district collectors to call upon the meeting of Sarpanchs and Gram Panchayats Secretaries with Revenue Department and Forest Department to resolve the long-pending issues of patta holders. The issue should be resolved in six months period.
Singh said that during the 'lok Suraj' Mission it was decided to construct 50 'Devgudhis' in Abhujmad region. The top officials should chalk out a plan to implement the scheme. 'Devgudhis' are the centers of faith of tribals.
The Chief Minister called upon the Secretary of Public Health Engineering Department to prepare plans to control water pollution in eight villages of Bailadilla Iron Ore Project area and begin work on Nerli Community Water Project. The N.M.D.C. had already released Rs5.92 crore for the Nerli Community Water Project, he said.
He took the complaints of Surguja district people's representatives seriously and called upon the top officials to look into the conditions of roads in the area.
Regarding 'Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Swahalamban Yojana', the officials said that youth are being selected for training in all the seven districts of Bastar division.
He instructed that the selection process should be completed in a month's time. He called upon the officials to complete the construction of 416 Gram Panchayat buildings in Bastar Region soon.
It may be recalled that Chhattisgarh is planning to add 2640 MW of additional renewable energy capacity by financial year 2018-19.
The State currently has total renewable energy potential of 4,500 MW which includes solar (grid connected and roof top), wind biomass and small hydro.
The State has also planned to install solar powered pump sets for agriculture consumers which will benefit 16,000 consumers. It may be recalled that there are significantly more number of villages which are to be electrified in Chhattisgarh using the off-grid (solar) mode than the grid-based (conventional power supply) mode.
As per the latest data available with the Union Ministry of Power, a total of 543 villages have to be electrified under ‘off-grid’ mode compared to 101 through the conventional power supply grid as on May 31, 2016.
The State will soon also launch a ‘Solar Community Irrigation Project’ for drawing water extracted using solar pumps for supplying to the agricultural land of farmers across the State.
The pipeline extension project to be executed by Chhattisgarh Renewable Energy Development Agency (CREDA) would be undertaken shortly, officials informed.