CMs' meet on power reforms soon

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has convened a meeting of chief ministers for evolving a political consensus on reforms in the power sector.

"I know we need to do a lot in the power sector to provide electricity to all and at affordable rates. I am convening a conference of chief ministers to form a political consensus," he said, launching work on the Rs 3,780 crore Barh Transmission System.

Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said the chief ministers' conference was expected to be held after the Assembly elections in various states. This could be possible only in the first week of June, he said.

Work on the Barh Transmission System was launched in the presence of former Prime Minister Chandra Sekhar, who represents the Ballia constituency in the Lok Sabha, and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

The Barh Transmission System, to be developed by PowerGrid Corporation Ltd, has been planned to transfer power from it to the beneficiaries in eastern, northern and western regions.

Addressing the gathering, the UPA chairperson expressed concern over the lack of economic development in eastern Uttar Pradesh and other smaller towns and exuded confidence that such projects would bridge the gap. Providing electricity to all by 2012 was a great challenge and overcoming this would make India, the world's largest democracy, a global economic power, she said.

Power from the project would be pooled at Ballia for its onward transfer to load centres in the northern region through a high capacity 2,500 HVDC bipole line, Singh said. Ballia was being developed as a power hub for receiving power from major generation projects in the eastern region, he added.

The chief ministers' conference agenda includes ways to control power theft and handling the politically-sensitive issue of free electricity to farmers. The ultra mega power project initiative will also get top billing at the meeting.

The meeting will include discussions on facilitating open access in power distribution, encouraging captive power generation and harnessing power generated through such plants to the national grid.

The meeting, according to sources, will also discuss demands made by various states for free power from pithead-based power stations and will try to formulate ways to increase inter-state cooperation for tapping hydroelectricity resources.

Singh said the UPA government had undertaken a major project under the Bharat Nirman to uplift the rural economy. "With this kind of investment in the Barh Transmission System, I am sure life at places like Ballia will undergo a major change," he said.