New Delhi, 23 May (IANS). Union Energy Minister Manohar Lal on Friday urged the Government of Karnataka to take concrete steps to reduce the annual financial deficit of the state’s power utilities.
The Union Minister outlined the importance of dues and timely disposal of subsidy related to government departments.
He also advised the state to install prepaid smart meters in all government establishments including local bodies and colonies till August this year.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Power, the Union Minister also emphasized the need for a centralized payment mechanism for efficient management of government power arrears.
Union Minister Manohar Lal, along with Minister of State for Power in Bangalore, Shripad Naik, Minister of State for Energy, KJ George and other senior officials made extensive review of the power sector in the state.
The state government made a detailed presentation on the current status of power generation, transmission and distribution. It discussed issues such as generation mix, the Right of Way (ROW) require the need for support for improvement in the Right of Way (ROW) for transmission infrastructure.
Union Minister Manohar Lal appreciated the state for the increasing stake of renewable energy in Power Mix.
He emphasized that its purpose was to find a better understanding of ground level issues and new initiatives to strengthen power supply in the state.
The Union Minister directed the state to expedite the rollout of smart meter for commercial, industrial and other consumer categories in a timely manner.
Union Minister Manohar Lal also reviewed the performance of various urban missions in Bangalore and expressed satisfaction with the progress of these missions.
He said that after receiving the proposal approved from the State Cabinet, the revised cost estimate of the Bengaluru Metro Phase-2 project would be investigated for the approval of the Central Government.
The state government has submitted a proposal for about 37 km long Bengaluru Phase-3 at an estimated cost of about Rs 28,400 crore.
-IANS
SKT/ABM
