The Hindu Business Line : Tripura Power project contract delayed

Kolkata. April 12 Uncertainty over feasible means to transport power equipment may delay award of EPC contract for the proposed 740-mw gas based ONGC Tripura Power project . ONGC has received bids from BHEL and Alstom for the EPC contract in November and the contract was slated to be awarded in April.

According to the Tripura Government sources, Bangladesh Government is yet to approve a proposal for transportation of heavy equipment through Ashugunj river port, which is not covered by the Indo-Bangla Transport treaty.

Asugunj is located merely 65 km away from Akhaura border in Tripura and is connected through adequate road infrastructure with the project site at Palatana.

Transportation hurdle

While surveys were launched for improving the road conditions from Karimgunj port in Assam – which is the only way to approach the project site within the national boundaries – the inadequate load bearing capacity and the circuitous nature of the road may create hurdle for transportation of equipment weighing up to 280 tonne a module in a time-bound manner.

Fresh negotiation

Concerned over the problems which may well jeopardise the implementation of the project – which is incidentally the single largest investment proposal in the history of the state – the State Government has recently sought help of the External Affairs Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, for fresh negotiation with the Bangladesh Government for allowing equipment transit through Asugunj.

According to sources, the External Affairs Ministry which is pursuing bi-lateral discussions on a few other trade related issues with the Bangladesh government, has attached high priority on resolving transit issues pertaining to ONGC Tripura Power.

When contacted, the Tripura Chief Minister, Mr Manik Sarkar, said that his government was actively pursuing the implementation of the power project. “We are aware of the problems related to implementation of this ambitious project and is keen to extend every help to ONGC authorities to overcome the same. We are confident that the project will be implemented in time and will be a significant contributor to the economic growth of Tripura,” he told Business Line.

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