The Hindu : New Delhi News : Power, regularisation dominate House debate

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Thursday, Sep 11, 2008
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New Delhi

Power, regularisation dominate House debate

Staff Reporter

Three Bills introduced in the last Assembly session before the Capital goes to polls

Minister blames other States for power crisis
BJP sees uncertainty over regularisation

NEW DELHI: The issues of power, water shortage and confusion and commotion over regularisation of unauthorised colonies dominated the first day of the Delhi Assembly session that began on Wednesday.

The Opposition accused the Government of failure to provide electricity despite privatisation of the sector. Power Minister A.K. Walia refuted the charge and blamed the ongoing power crisis on non-availability of power from those States that have entered into bilateral agreements with the distribution companies.

Replying to BJP MLA Vijay Jolly’s claim that several areas in the city have been facing power cuts lasting up to 24 hours, Dr. Walia said load-shedding was carried out only to stave off an imminent grid collapse when the frequency falls. He said from May to August this year, load-shedding amounted to a mere 0.38 per cent of the total energy supplied.

Even as the Opposition persevered with the charge that the city’s power situation was deplorable, the Power Minister vehemently denied it. He refuted that grossly inflated and incorrect bills were being despatched by the discoms to people living in jhuggi jhopri areas including Tigri under the Saket constituency.

The Opposition raised the issue of uncertainty being faced by the residents of unauthorised colonies, alleging that the Government, despite its claims, had failed to initiate steps to regularise these settlements.

During a short duration discussion on the problems of unauthorised colonies, Leader of the Opposition Jagdish Mukhi said the Government had failed to even demarcate the boundaries of the colonies slated for regularisation.

Reacting to the Congress MLA Mukesh Sharma’s allegations that the BJP was responsible for predicament of those living in the unauthorised colonies, Prof. Mukhi said the issue had become a poll plank for the Congress. Admitting that the issue of regularising unauthorised colonies will be a major poll plank in the upcoming elections, Urban Development and PWD Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan said the Government had begun work related to providing infrastructure in such colonies.

He said Rs.1,043 crore had been released for development work in these localities for the financial year 2008-09.

Of the 1,639 colonies that have applied for regularisation till January 31, 2008, work for providing street lights has begun in 1184 colonies, while water pipelines are being laid in 747 colonies, the Minister informed.

The last session of the Assembly before Delhi goes to polls also witnessed the introduction of three Bills. The House gave its consent to introduce the Delhi Degradable Plastic Bag (Manufacture, Sale and Usage) and Garbage (Control)(Amendment) Bill, 2008, the Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University Bill, 2008 and the Delhi Medicare Service Personnel and Medicare Services Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property), Bill 2008.

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