The Odisha government on Tuesday admitted that 3,940 villages and 16,533 small habitations remained to be electrified.
According to a written reply furnished by State Energy Minister Pranab Prakash Das, 3,144 villages under Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutikaran Yojana and 521 under Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) could not be electrified in12th plan period.
Mr. Das said over 400 villages each in Mayurbhanj, Rayagada and Koraput districts continued to be without electricity after 69 years of Independence. Similarly, a sizeable number of villages in Kandhamal, (305), Malkangiri (255), Kalahandi (227) and Angul district (221) are yet to be electrified.
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Similarly, 3,268 habitations in Mayurbhanj district do not have electricity. Bolangir and Nabarangpur districts are having more than 1,000 such villages.
MoUs cancelled
Mr. Das in response to a separate question said the government had cancelled the memorandum of understanding signed with three independent power producers due to unsatisfactory progress. The companies are Essar Power (Odisha) Limited, Vijaya Ferro and Power Private Limited and Kalinga Energy and Power Limited.
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During the past one decade, Odisha had signed MoU with 30 companies that had pledged to produce nearly 40,000 mW per annum. There has been very slow progress in power projects. Some projects are even stated to be non-starters.
At least six central public sector units and State PSUs have proposed to develop power projects.
Upon commissioning, the installed capacity of these projects would be 10,890 mW. The State government informed the House that Odisha’s share would be 5,845 mW.
3,268 habitations in Mayurbhanj district, more than 1,000 villages in Bolangir and Nabarangpur are also powerless