The Madhya Pradesh cabinet on Friday decided not to hand over 840 mw Birsinghpur power plant to National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC).
Instead, the state government would persuade the Centre that the NTPC should set up two power generation plants of 500 mw capacity each at Birsinghpur and to sell power from units to Madhya Pradesh.
In a meeting chaired by the chief minister Digvijay Singh, the state cabinet pulled up the Madhya Pradesh State Electricity Board (MPSEB) and asked it to maintain the Birsinghpur power plant.
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Singh also ensured an amount of Rs 300 crore to MPSEB so that it can ensure regular power supply for six hours on group basis for irrigation.
The state cabinet also issued directives to ensure six hours regular power supply to rural areas every day on three phase during the rabi season by dividing the feeders into two groups.
Accordingly, power on three phase will be supplied in day time. In night power will be supplied from 11 pm top 5 am alternate day. There will be no power supply from 11 pm to 5 am alternate day in one group of the rural feeders. The existing power cut schedule would continue as per requirement in the daytime for divisional, district and tahsil headquarters.
The chief minister further said that his state had been facing power shortage after the creation of Chhattisgarh. The state government is making all possible efforts for dealing with this problem.
His cabinet also reviewed the progress of the Samadhan Yojana implemented in the interest of farmers for settlement of power dues. The state has restored 9,000 severed irrigation pump connections and has organised 600 camps under the Samadhan Yojana for settlement of dues.
Under the scheme, the farmers have deposited a sum of Rs.1.40 crore as the first installment and the surcharge on them has been waived off.