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Bhagwant Mann, Arvind Kejriwal dedicate Goindwal power plant to masses
The state government recently purchased the plant earlier owned by a private company GVK Power, at a cost of ₹1,080 crore.
Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann along with his Delhi counterpart and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday dedicated the Sri Guru Amar Dass Thermal Plant in Goindwal Sahib, to the people.
The state government recently purchased the plant earlier owned by a private company GVK Power, at a cost of ₹1,080 crore.
Referring to the acquisition of the power plant, Kejriwal said it shows the difference between an honest and a dishonest government.
“A dishonest government ‘sells’ infrastructure and organisations like LIC, airports, seaports and power companies at meagre prices. This has happened for the first time in 75 years (since independence) that a private power plant has been purchased by any government,” Kejriwal said while lauding the Mann government.
Kejriwal said had a new plant been built, it would have involved an outlay of ₹5,500 crore, but buying it at a cost of ₹1,100 crore has saved the government ₹4,500 crore.
“This power plant was in losses so far. We have made a plan and will turn it profitable. It will produce electricity at cheaper rates,” he asserted.
Mann said the state government had scripted a new success story by purchasing the Goindwal power plant. “For the first time, a reverse trend was witnessed in the state as the government purchased a private power plant. This power plant is the cheapest purchase made by any state or private company as other power plants like Korba West, Jhabua Power and Lanco Amarkantak, having 600 MW capacity, have been purchased at ₹1,804 crore, ₹1,910 crore and ₹1,818 crore, respectively,” Mann said.
While addressing the gathering, power minister Harbhajan Singh ETO said that the power plant has been renamed as Sri Guru Amardass Thermal Power plant after the third Sikh Guru.
“The available capacity of the power plant is 61% whereas it was used only up to 34% but now it will be run to 75-80% thereby augmenting the power generation in the state. As coal from the Pachwara coal mine, allotted to Punjab, can be used only for government power plants so with the purchase of this power plant, this coal can be aptly utilised. This purchase will help in reduction in overall tariff by over ₹1 per unit, and it will lead to savings of ₹300- 350 crore on power purchase,” he added.
The Delhi CM alleged that the Centre has withheld ₹8,000 crore funds meant for Punjab and the said amount could have been utilised on building roads and hospitals.
“The BJP is only scared of the AAP and wants to defame and crush it, the Delhi CM alleged.
