Self-sufficiency in generation and supply of electricity is key to development. As it is an important infrastructure, those opposing power plants should understand and cooperate with the government, said home minister Dr V S Acharya.
Inadequate power supply was the main reason for major industrial houses recoiling at the very thought of establishing their units in Karnataka, he added.
Inadequate power supply was the main reason for major industrial houses in the recent past rethinking their plans to establish their units in Karnataka, Acharya said.
In a chat with Business Standard here, Dr Acharya said the BJP government was taking all steps to address environmental concerns while setting up power plants.
The state at present has an installed capacity for producing 5,000 Mw and the BJP government wants to enhance the capacity by another 5,000 Mw. The minimum gestation period for power plants was 3-4 years and erecting any hurdle in implementation of the projects would be detrimental to the state’s interest, he pointed out.
The minister said the BJP government, within 100 days of coming to power, had started preliminary work on attaining self-sufficiency in electricity supply. Since the generation of thermal power was feasible, it had thought of setting up plants at Nandikur and Kudagi using imported coal.
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“By using processes of electro static precipitator (ECP, a particulate collection device that removes particles from flowing gas) and flue gas desulphurisation (FGD, which uses limestone to remove sulphur dioxide) we are ensuring that there is no damage to the environment from the Udupi power plant in Nandikur,” he said.
He wanted those opposing the projects not to play into the hands of vested interests that were out to hamper Karnataka’s development.
On the transfer policy, the home minister said the government would come out with a transfer policy which is expected to come into effect next March.
Refuting former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy’s allegations that the BJP government had effected maximum transfers, Acharya said Kumaraswamy had issued transfer orders till his last day in office and a large number of transfers were effected during President’s Rule in the state.
“We are only undoing the wrong they had done. We have transferred officials to suit the needs of administration,” he said.
“From next year the transfers will be in a systematic manner. We will lay down guidelines and transfer officials by counselling,” Acharya said. Stating that the entire police set up would be modernised the minister said new disciplines to tackle terrorism and organised crime would be set up.
There will be a separate intelligence stream and the personnel would be recruited exclusively to this stream, he added. He expressed happiness that many technocrats had come forward to join the police force.
Acharya wanted the opposition parties not to hurry with criticism. “They should not find fault with us at this stage. We are just 120 days old. We have been in the opposition in the past and know the problems at the grassroots. We need time to tackle them on priority,” he said.
The home minister claimed that Union home minister Shivaraj Patil had expressed satisfaction over the steps taken by the state government in cases of attack on churches in Karnataka. He blamed the media for blowing the issue out of proportion and making it a matter of discussion at the international level.
To strengthen the police set up, Mangalore, Belgaum and Gulbarga will be converted into police commissionerates, he said. A separate police sub-division would be set up at Hampi which has been declared a World Heritage Site. An officer of the rank of deputy superintendent of police would head the sub-division.