Energy Minister G. Jagdishwar Reddy has said that the government was awaiting reports of the CID probe and the departmental inquiry launched to ascertain the reasons behind the fire mishap in the Srisailam Left Bank Hydro Electric Station.
The CID had been asked to study and examine the issue in-depth while a departmental inquiry had been ordered with a five-member team of officials. Though a 15-day deadline was set for the departmental inquiry, the report was delayed because three of the five members were affected by COVID-19. “The reasons for the accident will be known only after the submission of the reports,” the Minister told the Legislative Assembly.
He was participating in the short discussion on achievements of power sector after the formation of Telangana in the Assembly on Tuesday. He recalled how the State from a deficit of 2,700 MW had more than doubled its installed capacity and was on its way to become power surplus State in the coming years.
Several projects, including 4,000 MW Yadadri Ultra Thermal Power Plant, 810 MW from three units of Bhadradri, 4,000 MW NTPC Ramagundam, were in the pipeline and they would take the contracted capacity of the State to 27,603 MW making the State power surplus. The State was ahead of others in terms of per capita consumption growth, power transformation capacity and availability of transmission system.
Congress member Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka however criticized the ruling party claiming that it was trying to appropriate the credit of works launched during the previous governments. Works on all major power projects were taken up by the previous governments and the Yadadri project started under the TRS regime was yet to be commissioned while the Bhadradri plant was taken up with outdated technology.
Mr. Vikramarka extended the Congress’ support to the resolution moved by the government against the Central government’s new Electricity Act and said the party was firm on protecting the federal fabric of the country. On the Srisailam incident, he suggested that a high level panel of experts should be constituted to identify the lapses and make recommendations to ensure that such incidents did not recur.
He wanted the government to consider constituting a House Committee of the legislature to study the issue and make recommendations after eliciting the views of experts.