>From recent reports it seems that Assam is undergoing a huge power crises. Dispur is now making a case for a share of the power from Bhutan/Sikkim.
Why has the situation gotten to such a state? The Power Minister, Bordoloi is known for his acumen, and one cannot just hold him alone responsible. Its possible that he inherited the situation, as something like has probably been happening for decades, and its only now that it has become an 'emergency'. Industries cannot thrive or new projects cannot be undertaken if even a basic need such as power cannot be provided. --Ram Here is an item from Telegraph India. Assam out on power chase - Electricity from Bhutan, Sikkim sought A STAFF REPORTER Pradyut Bordoloi Guwahati, June 8: Admitting that the power crisis was the worst in the past 15 years, Dispur today made a case for its "legitimate" share of the power produced in Bhutan and Sikkim. Shaken by what he described as an "emergency" situation, power minister Pradyut Bordoloi said he would take up the issue forcefully with the Union power ministry and others involved in the sector. "If Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Orissa can get power from Bhutan, then we should too, from the Kirichu and Sukha dams. After all, Assam bears the brunt of the downstream impact of these projects. It is only justified that we, too, get included in this distribution network. The power we get from our state electricity board and other central sector units is not enough to tide over the crisis at the moment," he said. Bordoloi left for New Delhi this afternoon. Assam is having a peak-hour shortfall of around 200 MW against a requirement of 650 MW a day for the past several weeks, throwing not only life out of gear but also sparking widespread criticism of Dispur's apparent inability to tackle the fast-deteriorating situation. Attributing the crisis to "over dependence" on hydel projects, which were greatly impacted by the quantity of rainfall, and not taking the right step at the right time, Bordoloi said he would urge the Centre to allocate a portion of the power it gets from Bhutan. He said Assam has suffered because of the hydel power plants Delhi helped set up in the neighbouring country. The minister said Assam would also place a demand before the Centre to get free power from Sikkim on the ground that it has availed of funds from the North Eastern Council. "Since it is a rule that states seeking NEC funds will have to distribute a portion of the power it generates for free, we will stake a similar claim now that Sikkim is a member state," Bordoloi said. The other steps included barring the Assam State Electricity Board from selling power during lean hours, obtaining power from states which have a surplus, revival of the Bongaigaon thermal power station, upgradation of the Lakwa and Namrup thermal stations, buying excess power from the Digobi refinery, initiating talks with the ONGC, Neepco and the NTPC to set up more power plants. "We have put in motion an action plan that envisages Assam producing nearly 856 MW in a few years. These are accumulated problems and as such there is no overnight solution," he said, dismissing suggestions that the crisis had anything to do with the ongoing reforms of the Assam State Electricity Board, which has been unbundled into five companies. _______________________________________________ Assam mailing list [email protected] http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam Mailing list FAQ: http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/assam/assam-faq.html To unsubscribe or change options: http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/options/assam
