Chief Minister directs HPPTCL to expedite work on under construction projects
Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has stressed on the need to prioritize revenue generation for the Himachal Pradesh Power Transmission Corporation Limited (HPPTCL) through its transmission lines. While presiding over a meeting late evening on Saturday in Shimla, the Chief Minister asked the corporation to speed up its construction works and reduce the duration of its tender process to maximize revenue and benefit the people of the state. To increase the revenue, a technical committee would be constituted, which would submit its recommendations within a month. He said that the economic condition of the state is precarious and the present state government is working vigorously towards resource mobilization to improve the financial condition of the state.
Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu while reviewing various projects of the HPPTCL emphasized on the need to expedite work on under-construction projects of corporation. He highlighted that the corporation owns 15 substations and 964 circuit KM lines in the state and has earned an income of Rs. 166.99 crore in the financial year 2022-23. Furthermore, the income of the corporation is projected to Rs. 455 crore by the year 2025.
The Chief Minister emphasized the importance of completing the construction of the 6 KM Shongtong-Baspa transmission line within the next 18 months as it is crucial for power evacuation from the 450 MW Shongtong-Karcham hydropower projects, which is scheduled to be completed by July 2025. He said the delay in construction of this line would result in revenue loss to the state coffer, therefore the corporation should prioritize the construction of this transmission line.
Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu emphasized that HPPTCL needs to proactively address the future challenges by adopting a proactive approach. The focus should be on ensuring adequate transmission arrangements for upcoming projects such as Bulk Drug Park to meet the power demands and power evacuation from solar power projects in Lamlehadi and Pekhubela in Una district. To achieve this, a 220/132 KV sub-station and 41 km transmission line from Nehrian to Una would be constructed. Additionally, the corporation should also make proper transmission arrangements to cater to the electricity demands of the upcoming medical device park in Nalagarh, Solan district and the industrial area at Kala Amb in Sirmaur district.
The Chief Minister said that the present government is making all-out efforts to promote district Kangra as a tourism capital. Along with this, Central University is being set-up in Dehra and there is scope for setting up solar projects in Fatehpur area, so the corporation should also lay transmission lines here as per future needs in the Kangra district. He said that the role of the corporation in meeting the power requirements of the state is very crucial and all the officers should make collective efforts to achieve the target.
Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sanjay Awasthi, Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena, Principal Secretary Finance Maneesh Garg, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Bharat Khera, Secretary Finance Akshay Sood, Managing Director HPPTCL Rugved Milind Thakur and other senior officers were present in the meeting.
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