Baikunthpur JD(U) MLA Manjit Kumar Singh enters the Assembly with his daughter Nandini Raj on Monday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Energy minister Bijendra Yadav on Monday claimed that the state would have nearly 5,000MW of power by 2015, suggesting chief minister Nitish Kumar’s promise in his last Independence Day speech to improve the power scenario would be fulfilled.

“The state is getting nearly 2,000MW from the central pool against barely 900MW in 2004-05. It will get 50 per cent of its share from the 1,200MW super thermal power project at Barh, 800MW from the upgraded Barauni and Kanti thermal power stations where the modernisation work is nearing completion,” the minister said, adding that the state has a long-term agreement to procure nearly 1,300MW from ESSAR and GMR in the next two years.

Replying to the debate on the budgetary demand of his department during the post-lunch session, Yadav pointed out that the state with zero generation capacity had taken a big stride in the power sector by embarking on modernising its moribund power units at Barauni and Kanti besides beginning the work on 1,980MW super thermal power project at Nabinagar (Aurangabad). In the first phase, Bihar would get 69.37 per cent of the power generated there.

The RJD members led by the Leader of Opposition, Abdul Bari Siddiqui, walked out describing the minister’s reply as “unsatisfactory”, but Yadav said: “The government had completed the land acquisition process for the power units at Kajra Hills (Lakhisarai), Pirpainty (Bhagalpur) and Chousa (Buxar) to meet its goal of making Bihar a power surplus state by 2020.”

He said: “The energy department is fully aware of the chief minister’s promise to the people in his Independence Day address last year and is determined to fulfil it,” Yadav said, adding that the department would not have the moral authority to exist if it failed to make the chief minister’s promise a reality.

“We are working hard to ensure adequate power generation and its supply in the state,” he said.