Increase in power output major win for MP govt: Energy minister

Energy minister Rajendra Shukla said increase in power generation is a major achievement of the MP government. Shukla said power production in the state has gone up by 1300 MW this year.

Energy minister Rajendra Shukla on Tuesday said increase in power generation is a major achievement of the state government. Shukla said power production in the state has gone up by 1300 MW this year, and it would continue to rise in coming years.

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He said this while presenting the report cards of the working of the departments under him in the last one year. When asked why is electricity being purchased from outside if the state is self-sufficient in power production, the minister said it is because of 'long-term power purchase agreements.'

Regarding the action to disconnect transformers in rural areas, where bills are not paid -- which also affects customers who pay their bills -- the minister said the transformers have been re-connected even if 50% of the defaulted money is realised. "It was needed to discourage those involved in power theft and those using power for free," said the minister.

However, he said the steps will be taken to ensure that those who pay bills don't get penalised for others' fault. When reminded that the state government had earlier claimed that the power tariff may go down sometime in future, the energy minister said it is possible when the transmission losses go down substantially. "We have brought down the loss from 50% to 25% and it has to go down to 15%. This situation is possible after December 16," he said.

When media raised questions about power cuts and the effectiveness of the Atal Jyoti scheme, the power minister said the electricity is being supplied all over the state and this was illustrated by the fact that nearly 2,000 lakh units of power were being supplied almost on a daily basis. In all, 53,700 million units of power were purchased.