The Hindu Business Line : PM makes a pitch for more power reforms

New Delhi June 20 The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, on Wednesday described the lack of availability of quality power at affordable cost as the single biggest constraint in the country's development and called for the need to step up the reform agenda.

Speaking here after dedicating the high-capacity link East-North Tala Transmission System to the country, Dr Singh reiterated the Government's plans to set up a National Power Project Management Board (NPPMB) to speed up execution of all projects on time and to restructure the ongoing Accelerated Power Development Reforms Development Programme (APDRP).

"As I had announced, the APDRP scheme is being revised and a National Power Project Management Board will be set up to assist State and Central utilities to ensure timely completion of all power projects," he said.

Power theft

Dr Singh also said that States should set up special courts to try cases of power theft. "We had agreed that as losses come down to agreed levels, we will reward performing states appropriately," he said.

"The time has come for us to address the challenge on the energy front on a war footing. The complacency of the past, be it with respect to conventional or non-conventional sources of power, or indeed nuclear power, must end. The people of our country are not going to wait endlessly for us to sort out our administrative, political and theological problems," he said.

The Tala Transmission System is the first high capacity link built jointly by Powerlinks (a Tata Power Company-Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd joint venture) at a cost of Rs 2,800 crore through public-private partnership. Dr Singh said the Tala Hydro project and Tala Transmission System symbolised the determination of India and Bhutan to find new pathways of regional cooperation for sustainable development.

`Win-win model'

"The two countries are committed to promoting cooperation in diverse fields for mutual benefit. I do hope that we can replicate this highly successful win-win model of bilateral cooperation with Bhutan in the power sector with Nepal too," the Prime Minister said. He suggested that the country must tap the hydro-energy potential in this region more efficiently.

"The Tala transmission system will enable us to evacuate power from Bhutan and supply it to the eastern and northern regions of India. This will augment the capacity of the national power grid and make it easier for us to balance the supply and demand equation in power," he said.

The Prime Minister said he was aware of concerns pertaining to ecological concerns and rehabilitation, which arise while setting up large hydroelectric projects. "I am fully cognisant of such concerns and share them. It is precisely to address such concerns that the Ministry of Power is constituting a Task Force on hydro power," he said.