Patna, Nov. 1: Energy minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav on Friday asked employees of all five power companies in the state to work towards making their companies profitable or face difficulties.
He said inefficiency and demand for money had left the power sector at the private sector’s door. Addressing employees on the first foundation day of power companies, Yadav said: “Privatisation would make its way if efficiency in government departments dips.”
Pointing out that there had been loud applause when a speaker made his distaste for privatisation known, Yadav said: “You have to think why such a situation has arisen (for privatisation in different sectors). If you people had given better services and raised efficiency levels, then the government would not have resorted to such steps.”
Bihar State Power (Holding) Company Ltd chairman-cum-managing director and energy department secretary Sandeep Poundrik said power companies are working on an ambitious project worth Rs 28,000 crore, the tenders for which would be awarded by end of November 2013. Praising the staff for work done in the past year, he said the power company has been supplying around 2,200 MW for the past month and aims at supplying 3,500 MW next month.
Managing directors of all power companies — generation, transmission and two distribution companies — gave a presentation vis-à-vis their performance in the past few years, especially last year.
Bihar State Power Generation Power Company Ltd managing director Anand Kishor dwelt at length on the various stages of power projects, which are currently under way, and said the state would have sufficient power at its disposal by the end of 2015-16.
Kishor said one of the two units (2x110MW) of Kanti Thermal Power Station, Muzaffarpur, would start commercial operation within a month.
Sanjay Kumar Singh, MD, Bihar State Power Transmission Company Limited, said the transmission capacity would increase to 3,500MW from 2,700 MW by end of August 2014 and to 4,500MW by end of August 2015. North Bihar Power Distribution Company and South Bihar Power Distribution Company managing director Sanjay Kumar Agrawal said it was their priority to improve metering, meter-reading and revenue collection.
