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Centre plans Rs 600-million bonds to clear Gujarat's power dues

As part of relief measures for Gujarat, which suffered huge losses in the devastating earthquake, the Centre has decided to raise Rs 600 million through bonds to clear the arrears of its electricity bills towards National Thermal Power Station (NTPC), Union Minister of State for Power Jaywantiben Mehta said.

Mehta, after an extensive tour of the quake affected areas, said that the state has not yet paid the electricity bill amounting to Rs 600 million towards two months' electricity charges to the NTPC. The Centre has decided to compensate the state by issuing such bonds, she said.

Mehta said that the ministry has also decided to run pilot projects for electricity distribution and transmission at Anjar and Bhuj.

All the initiatives of power reforms including compulsory metering, installation of insulators, reduction in overdrop and regulatory measures would be implemented through these ideal projects, the minister added.

The power supply, which was severely affected after the earthquake, had now came back to the normal level, she said. Out of the required 6000 mw of power, the state is being provided 5500 mw power currently and the shortage would be filled up in due course, she said.

According to Mehta, three sub-stations of the Gujarat Electricity Board were closed down immediately after the devastating quake, but these sub-stations are now restored fully with special initiatives.

The Centre has also offered 18 generator sets to the GEB and these will be delivered soon, she said.

UNI

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