South Bihar Power Distribution Power Company Ltd (SBPDPCL) has chalked out a plan to carry out cent per cent electrification work in every village in 17 districts under Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana (RGGVY) at Rs 7,822.88 crore.
Energy department secretary and Bihar State Power Holding Company Ltd (BSPHCL) chairman-cum-managing director (CMD) Pratyaya Amrit has set out rural electrification as one of his priorities considering the government’s commitment to improve the power supply situation across the state, including rural areas, before October 2015, when the Assembly elections are due.
Sources said under the scheme, any habitation, hamlet or village with at least 100 households would be electrified in the Twelfth Five-Year Plan, but it would not discriminate between above poverty line and below poverty line families.
After reviewing the progress of the companies on Wednesday, CMD Amrit said: “Apart from the work being carried out in Eleventh and Twelfth Five-Year Plan periods, the company will have to take a decision as how to go ahead with regard to the electrification work carried out under Tenth Five-Year Plan in which 16KV and 25KV transformers were installed and burnt. Now, it needs to be replaced. I have called to enquire about the status of rural electrification carried out under the Tenth Plan period.”
He said all projects — generation, transmission and distribution — would be completed within a time-frame.
In the first phase, rural electrification work would be completed in seven districts at an estimated cost of Rs 2,602.21 crore.
Electrification work underway in Patna, Bhojpur, Nalanda, Gaya, Nawada, Rohtas and Banka districts, started in October, 2013, is expected to be completed by the end of 2015, Bihar State Power (Holding) Company Ltd deputy general manager (public relations) H.R. Pandey said.
Under RGGVY, the distribution company would carry out a host of works in the first phase, including construction of 23 new 33/11KV power sub-stations, capacity augmentation of 88 existing power sub-stations, laying of 502km, 23,104km and 20,448km of 33KV, 11KV lines and low-tension lines respectively, installation of 28,369 distribution transformers, complete electrification of 18,735 villages, hamlets, habitations, he said.
