• Centre tells Karnataka to clear land hurdles for Central power projects

    The reliability of power supply in Bengaluru and surrounding areas is set to improve in the months to come through reduction in interruptions, as the Union government on Tuesday took the initiative of convincing the State to clear the hurdles for four central transmission projects languishing for years.

    The State, especially Bengaluru, will get additional power from the Centre after the completion of these Central transmission projects which are struck due to the land-related issues such as want of right-of-way.

    Union Minister of State for Power, Coal and Mines Piyush Goyal led the initiative by holding day-long consultations with the State government authorities in Bengaluru on Tuesday in a bid to clear the bottlenecks for transmission projects.

    “The Centre is concerned that people of Karnataka, particularly Bengaluru and neighbouring areas, are still facing frequent interruptions in power supply, when the country has surplus power. This is because the city is unable to get additional power since the process of setting up of five of the new transmission lines connecting it with the grid are pending,” Mr. Goyal later told reporters. Citing an example, he noted that the 400-KV Yelahanka transmission line that got the approval in 2011 was yet to be completed due the lack of right of way for a stretch of just 4.5 km. “The state will get about 600 MW of power after the completion of this project,” he said. Similarly other transmission projects for which the State has committed to remove obstacles include the 400-kv Dharmapuri and Summanahalli transmission line that facilitates flow of power from northern grid to the southern grid; 400-KV Madhugiri-Yelahanka line; and 765-MW Madhugiri-Dharmapuri line.

    He also announced setting up of Renewable Energy Management Centre in Bengaluru for strengthening the load management and grid connectivity of green energy projects. The minister also assured the state of providing coal linkage to the state’s long-pending project of pit-head power plant to be set up in Chhattisgarh.

    Pointing out that Karnataka had only partially accepted the Centre’s flagship programme of UDAY (Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana) — which aims at the comprehensive reforms of the power sector— he said the State would have got benefits to the tune of Rs. 400 to 500 crore if it had accepted the scheme’s financial aspects. Brandon Fusco Authentic Jersey

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