Pics by : Justin Dsilva
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (NP/JD)
Udupi, Feb 6: “We have put barter system in place to meet the increasing energy demands for the summer with the states of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh” said K J George, Karnataka's energy minister.
He was speaking at a review meet of KPTCL and MESCOM units of Udupi district on Tuesday, February 6 at the DC"s office in Manipal.
Addressing the meeting, minister K J George said "Udupi, Mangaluru and Shivamogga have organised maximum number of programmes for the development of renewable energy. This year, work on the thermal plants had been delayed for various reasons like lack of rainfall and wind. The Department will recruit around 6,000 skilled linesmen immediately after the elections. An additional pumped storage plant with an expected power generation of 1,500 megawatt of energy in Varahi is on the anvil. Green hydrogen renewal energy is cheaper and easier to store. At present most European countries are using green hydrogen. Mangaluru is the most preferred place for green hydrogen thermal plants as it has a large sea water source. A training programme for skilled workers will be provided to the locals which will increase employment and this project will help nearly 70 lac families.”
The minister also took to task the executive engineers of MESCOM and instructed them to have regular meetings with the local MLAs, MP and MLCs.
“I had given clear instructions regarding this during a meeting held in Belagavi but it looks like it has not been followed. It is necessary to have regular meetings with the local people's representatives as they will be in touch with the general public and will be having more issues on hand which would brought to the officers' notice,” he said.
MLA Yashpal Suvarna urged the minister to avoid power outages till April as the students would be preparing for various exams to which the minister responded positively and instructed the MESCOM officials to avoid power cuts till April.
Yashpal Suvarna also suggested that there should be better coordination between the energy and forest department with regard to felling of trees before the rainy season.
Kiran Kumar Kodgi, MLA for Kundapura urged the minister to fill up vacancies for the linesmen and also clear other pending projects of Kundapura constituency.
MLC Manjunath Bhandary appreciated energy minister's decision to hold regular review meets in the presence of the people's representatives.“ We encounter many problems related to the energy department but we are unable to solve them without the executive engineers' help. These review meetings also give us an opportunity to present such issues.”
Minister also instructed the MESCOM MD to conduct a thorough review meeting within the department about the pending works and clear the issues.
Addressing reporters on the new Varahi pumpshed project, minister K J George said “The discussions are at the preliminary stage. We are not obstructing any main irrigation project. Today we have provided the information to the people's representatives. The pump storage requires 0.3 tmc water at one time and the same water can be recycled and used. This water will be stored only during the rainy season.”
Addressing a query on UPCL expansion, the minister said, “We have not received any expansion proposal. UPCL is providing 1,000 megawatt of energy to the state. The charges are also nominal. As per Section 11 when the state requires power they have to provide it to the state on first priority.”
“To meet the shortage of linesmen we will be recruiting 3,000 of them this year in the entire state. The recruitment will be carried out soon. Skilled training centres will be opened at the taluk levels,” he added.
Udupi MLA Yashpal Suvarna, Kundapura MLA Kiran Kumar Kodgi, MLC Manjunath Bhandary and deputy commissioner Dr K Vidya Kumari, KPTCL managing director Pankaj Kumar Pande, MESCOM managing director Padmavathi, zilla panchayat CEO Prathik Bayal were present.