In an effort to provide 24x7 quality power supply to the people in and around the state capital of Bhubaneswar, the Odisha government has approved a Rs 1,500-crore State Capital Region Improvement of Power System (SCRIPS) scheme to be implemented in five years.
A proposal in this regard got state Cabinet's nod yesterday. The Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, has decided to spend the money over a five years timeframe from 2015-16 to 2019-20, said chief secretary G C Pati.
Stating that the need for a change is felt ever since the region came through rapid infrastructure growth on all fronts, Pati pointed out that the electricity consumption has recorded a growth of 51 per cent as against 17 per cent growth of population in last eight years since 2006.
Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited (OPTCL), being the implementing agency, has chalked out broad features for SCRIPS for underground cabling, smart grid and others, said energy secretary S C Mohapatra.
He said the project envisages renovation, modernisation and expansion of the existing transmission and distribution infrastructure with an objective to ensure round-the-clock uninterrupted, reliable and stable power supply to all classes of consumers, including public services in the geographical areas covered under the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) for Bhubaneswar and Cuttack urban complex.
The Cabinet also approved Odisha Fisheries Policy, 2015, a new scheme Biju Expressway to build a 4-lane economic corridor from Rourkela to Jagadalpur in Chhattisgarh and 30 other proposals.
