Bengaluru :
Energy Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday said the government plans to go ahead with laying of high tension electricity transmission lines in Kodagu and the power project at Kudgi in Vijayapura district, despite opposition from the locals. He was speaking at an interaction programme organised by the Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association (KASSIA) on Friday.
“We will go ahead with the projects as they are in the interest of the state. The work on the Kodagu power line has almost been completed with the exception of 50 odd km in Kodagu area. We can’t undo and change the entire setup. We have constituted a committee to look into the process of setting up the line. Similarly, the work will go in Kudgi too,” the minister said.
He claimed that by the end of 2015, the state will become self-sufficient in terms of energy and it will also have the capacity to supply power to other states. “Once all these lines are constructed, the state will not have any power issues. In Bengaluru, we decided to invest Rs 2,000 crore for setting up transmission lines. The city will receive an additional 300 MW of power when the Gowribidanur-Hiriyur line becomes active. A gas plant will also be set up in Yelahanka as an emergency source of power supply,” he said.
The minister noted that the government is facing troubles in acquiring land for setting up towers. “Earlier, the land was cheap. As the land rates have shot up now, the owners are unwilling to part with their land,” he said.
Issuing a stern warning to power bill defaulters, the minister said there is a due amount of about Rs 13,000 crore to be collected from farmers in the state.
Attributing this to the slipshod policies of the former Yeddyurappa-led BJP government, he said, “It (BJP’s policies) is evidently a case of poor planning. However, I have made it clear to everyone that if they do not pay their bills, we will not supply power. It is as simple as that.”
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by Express News Service / February 14th, 2015
