Complete solar projects on time or face blacklisting: Addl chief secretary

Abha Shukla, additional chief secretary, state energy department, has warned that companies will be blacklisted for five years if their solar projects in Pune district are not completed within the deadline

Pune: Abha Shukla, additional chief secretary, state energy department, has warned that companies will be blacklisted for five years if their solar projects in Pune district are not completed within the deadline.

Abha Shukla, additional chief secretary, state energy department, has warned that companies will be blacklisted for five years if their solar projects in Pune district are not completed within the deadline. (AFP (PIC FOR REPRESENTATION))

Seven firms are part of setting up solar power projects with a capacity of 1,083 MW in the district under the “Chief Minister’s Solar Agriculture Feeder Scheme 2.0” to provide daytime electricity to farmers.

Shukla chaired a review meeting at the Pune district collectorate on Friday attended by Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) chairman and managing director Lokesh Chandra, additional district collector Suhas Mapari, MSEDCL directors Yogesh Gadkari and Rajendra Pawar, regional director Bhujang Khandare, and other senior officials.

The state government has set a target of generating 16,000MW of power through the scheme, with Pune district’s 131 power substations to produce 1,083MW.

According to the officials, while work orders for the projects were issued to the companies about 18 months ago, only one firm has met the deadline.

MSEDCL sub-divisional engineers have been appointed as nodal officers to coordinate land acquisition and resolve issues. Shukla has instructed revenue, police, forest, and public works departments to help remove obstacles in the implementation of projects.