Bihar CM Nitish Kumar says power condition has improved in Bihar

PATNA: Brushing aside Prime Minister Narendra Modi's criticism over poor electricity availability despite promise not to seek vote in 2015 if he failed to provide power, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today said through sustained efforts the state has perked up power supply and said all villages would be electrified within one year.

Concrete steps have been taken in the field of generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in Bihar as a result of which as against availability of a meagre 70 MW in 2005 the supply today stands at 3100 MW, Kumar said during an interaction with mediapersons here.

Within a year all villages would be electrified, he said adding it should not be confused with electrifying every household. "We link every village with the electricity network so that those willing to take electricity connection can have it," he said to qualify his statement.

The interaction named "Breakfast with the CM" was organised under "Badh Chala Bihar" programme as part of "vision@2025" campaign aimed at preparing a vision document of policy for next 10 years on the basis of feed back from people about works done in past and suggestions for future growth.

During a rally at Gaya, the PM had highlighted poor per capita availability of electricity of 150 unit which is much less than national average of 1000 unit and those in smaller states like Sikkim, Jharkhand and Punjab.

He had also referred to Kumar's much publicised promise in 2012 to people of Bihar that if he failed to improve electricity condition he would not come to seek vote in 2015 election. The PM had sought vote for his party to make available electricity in every household in next three years.

While giving details of state government's initiative to boost electricity supply, the CM made a scathing attack on the Centre for not extending assistance in the process.

"For 14 times, the Bharat Heavy Electricity Limited (BHEL) has delayed the date to complete the work to restart Barauni power unit," Kumar said.

"Satluj Jalvidhyut Nigam, which is establishing a 1230 MW thermal power unit at Chausa in Buxar district is yet to get central clearance on many counts to start the work," he said to drive home his point.

The CM in the presence of Power Secretary Pratyay Amrit said the state has taken up work to change 72,000 km of transmission line to cut power loss. "50 per cent of the work has been completed," he said.

Asked why the state was not harnessing its immense water resources to set up hydel projects to meet the power demand like Himachal Pradesh and other states have done, he said unlike HP, Uttarakhand and Bhutan, Bihar lies on the plains where there was not much scope for it. Mini hydel power projects started in Kosi belt have not been a much success, he added.

Asked about prevalence of open defecation in Bihar and low percentage of toilet in households, Kumar said Bihar was among the first to raise concern over poor sanitation condition.

"Great socialist leader Rammanohar Lohia had indeed once told Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru that if he installed toilet in every household he would stop his protest against him," Kumar, a disciple of Lohia, said.