Providing 24x7 electricity to all, a true tribute to Kalam: Raghubar Das

RANCHI: Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das today said providing round-the-clock electricity to the people of the state by 2019 will be a "true tribute" to APJ Abdul Kalam, who passed away on Monday last.

"By 2019, we have to transmit electricity 24x7 in Jharkhand. Making it (state) a power hub will be a true tribute to the people's President," Das said remembering the former President.

Speaking on the occasion of the state government signing a MoU with NTPC for a joint venture to expand and increase production capacity of the Patratu Thermal Power Station (PTPS) in Ramgarh district, an official release quoting Das said like green, blue and white revolutions, power revolution was also essential.

Thanking NTPC and state Energy department for timely completion of the second phase of the project, Das expressed hope that the state, with its potentials, would be among the developed states in five years.

Chief Secretary Rajiv Gauba said the state's energy capacity was under transformation and to achieve this, construction of mega power plants at Tilaya and Deoghar were accelerated.

NTPC Chairman-cum-Managing Director Arup Roy Choudhury said the agreement would lay the foundation for building a new PTPS.