PATNA: Contrary to Union power minister Raj Kumar Singh’s claim of no power crisis in the country due to the coal shortage, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Monday said the state was not getting whatever electricity is provisioned from the NTPC and there was a problem in supply of required quantity of electricity to the state.
Responding to a media query over the existing power crisis due to the coal shortage, Nitish said, “It is true there is a problem. It is a reality that we (Bihar) are not getting whatever electricity is provisioned from the NTPC and other (power generating) companies. … There are some reasons due to which such a situation has arisen. It’s not only in Bihar, it’s everywhere.”
Nitish said he inquired about the current status of power supply in the state from the energy department’s officials on Monday. “The officials told me that electricity is not being supplied as per the requirements of the state. They are purchasing electricity at a higher rate from other companies and maintaining supply in the state. Despite the crisis, the state’s energy department is prompt in bringing the supply situation to its normal level by purchasing electricity at a higher rate from the companies outside the power purchase agreements.”
The CM also said that Bihar purchased around 570 lakh units of electricity from the power exchange in the last 5 days at the cost of Rs 90 crore.
He said currently 5,500 to 5,600 MW electricity was being made available for the consumers in Bihar after purchasing it at a higher rate. Electricity was being supplied to the consumers as per their demands. “We have to spend more money because of the purchase of electricity from the companies outside the power purchase agreements,” Nitish said.
Earlier on Sunday, the Union power minister said in Delhi that there was enough coal for power production in the country and there would be no blackouts due to shortage in power supply.
Responding to another query, Nitish said ever since the people of Bihar gave him an opportunity to serve the state he started working fast to improve the situation of power supply across the state. In the initial years, many steps were taken to improve the situation in the existing power plants and also to set up new power generating plants. Later on, the state government handed over all its power plants to the NTPC through an agreement. “Now, there is no power generating plant under the Bihar government,” Nitish said.
