Ranchi, Dec. 12: The Jharkhand State Electricity Board (JSEB) has decided to issue work orders worth Rs 660 crore for various pending projects with an eye on the coming Assembly election.

The decision was taken in a board meeting held at the JSEB headquarters recently.

The projects include upgradation of transmission lines, strengthening of power distribution network under Accelerated Power Reforms Development Programme (APDRP) and a Renovation and Modernisation (R and M) project of Patratu Thermal Power Station (PTPS).

While the transmission and APDRP projects are worth Rs 100 crore and Rs 300 crore respectively, the R and M project of PTPS is worth Rs 206 crore.

Transmission lines are to be set up in Deogarh-Dumka, Dumka-Lalmatia and Lalmatia- Sahebganj sectors.

On the other hand, units numbering 1,3 and 4 are to be modernised under the Renovation and Modernisation project of PTPS.

The power distribution in six districts of the state is to be strengthened under the PTPS modernisation project.

Funds to the tune of Rs 444 crore have earlier been sanctioned to Jharkhand under APDRP programme by the union government.

Sources, however, said the board meeting is likely to run into controversy as the state energy secretary and the state finance secretary, who are the two prominent members of the board, were not present in the meeting.

Water crisis

The drinking water crisis due to the strike of casual workers at Sitarampur dam pumping station is brewing resentment among the people, reports our Jamshedpur correspondent.

Hundreds of women of Adityapur area have decided to take to the streets and gherao the superintending engineer?s office of drinking water and sanitation department (DWSD) tomorrow in protest against the severe water crisis. The women will gherao the DWSD superintending engineer, I.N. Jha?s office.

In a letter to the DWSD secretary Sudhir Parsed, Jha requested him to take steps.