The Karnataka government is planning an integrated energy policy soon which will deal with promoting public-private partnership projects in the energy sector, a senior government official said.
“With a target of adding 10,000 Mw in the next eight years, we have identified projects in Gulbarga and Belgaum. The integrated energy policy will promote public-private partnerships in various aspects of energy sector like distribution and transmission of power,” Raj Kumar Khatri, secretary to government, infrastructure development department, government of Karnataka said.
Speaking at the Business Standard Infrastructure Round Table 2011, Khatri said the state government’s Vision Plan 2020 specifies twin objectives of high growth and affordable infrastructure solutions. Under this plan, the state government has envisaged all round development of various sectors like railways, roads, power, airports and seaports.
The government is looking to increase the railway density from the present 16 kms per 1,000 sq kms to 41 kms at an investment of Rs 25,000 crore. Similarly, in the road sector, the index would be improved from 1.07 per cent to 1.5 per cent, he said.
In the energy sector, Khatri said, the per capita consumption per annum would be doubled from 700 units to 1,400 units. This would mean that the state would have to put in an investment of Rs 30,000 crore per annum over the next nine years, he said. The two minor airports planned at Gulbarga and Shimoga would be operational before end of July 2012.
The expansion of Bangalore international airport to handle 17 million passengers is underway and the second runway would be developed in the second phase expansion, he added.
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The state government has also taken up joint development of railway projects on a cost-sharing basis with the Central government involving Rs 24,000 crore. This will result in laying of 2,137 kms of new railway lines, he said.
Chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda said, the Railway Ministry has approved three new railway lines in the state, such as Gadag-Wadi, Kengeri-Chamrajnagar and Srinivasapura-Madanapalle.
On completion of these projects, the rail density, which is measured in number of kilometres of rail line per thousand square kilometre of area, would increase from the existing 16 kms to 23 kms.
In his keynote address, Gowda said, “Gauge conversion and line doubling works also are being undertaken. The state government has also received in-principle approval for Metro Phase II from the Central Government.”
As many as 105 infrastructure projects under PPP format are underway in the state and are at various stages of development involving an investment of Rs 80,946 crore, he said. The government would replicate the urban water supply project, implemented in Hubli, in other 16 cities.
The state cabinet would soon discuss two other projects related to bulk supply of water in Chitradurga and Bijapur, Khatri added.