New Delhi: Delhi, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh are all set to get 24-hour power supply like Gujarat, Power Minister Piyush Goyal said on Wednesday. "The programmes for provision of 24-hour power supply in the states of Delhi, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh are ready for roll-out," he said without disclosing the date of its implementation.
The Power Minister also revealed that the 'coal swap' with Gujarat, which the Government was trying for the last ten years, has also been completed. This implies that imported coal coming through Mundra port in Gujarat for use in power plants in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand will be swapped with these states against indigenous coal from domestic mines for use in power plants in Gujarat.
Noting that politics should not be played on issues like power supply which were in national interest, Goyal lamented that Chief Ministers of Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana have not responded to his requests for resolving pending issues on power sector and have become "unreachable".
"Every state irrespective of its political dispensation which comes out with reforms in power sector will be welcome. The Centre would not be found wanting. It is a lie that the Centre is not cooperating. It is unfortunate that some are playing politics on it," the Minister said. When asked about lack of cooperation from Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh for resolving pending power sector issues, Goyal said, "I have been trying hard to reach out to them, but they are not responsive".
The Minister has already held meetings with 17 states to help the Centre jointly resolve power supply issues. "It is not a matter of ownership. It is a matter of leadership," he said talking about performance of state-owner power corporations while lauding Gujarat for turning itself around from loss-making to power surplus and profit-making.
On some states threatening the public by curtailing power supply to those areas where people did not vote for the ruling dispensation, Goyal said, "If state government punishes the people for not voting for them, people will punish them. The Centre is not punishing anybody."
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