Power sub-station for better public services

SILCHAR, Feb 20: "With the inauguration of power substation at Sreekona, the consumers in and around Silchar town will be more benefited as their demand for power can be substantially met", pointed out Urban Development Minister Dinesh Prasad Goala while inaugurating the 132/33 KV substation at Sreekona, 8 km from here, on Thursday. He said the growing demand for energy in rural areas "is being met through the implementation of Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Programme".

He added to say so long Silchar and its adjoining areas had to depend upon Panchgram substation for power needs. It would be now Sreekona substation that would greatly solve the power crisis. Any transmission or distribution fault could now be easily located and rectified which would mitigate the suffering of consumers, besides improving the power scenario. It would also provide maximum voltage and contribute towards the setting up of small scale industrial units in the district of Cachar.

Goala was however skeptical about the desired benefits to people because it would take one month more to activate this substation. Moreover, it lacked basic infrastructure. Barak Valley as a whole faces acute power crisis with long and unending bouts of load shedding. He attributed much of the problem to lack of coordination among public, peoples’ representatives and the ASEB. As a minister, he said, he "is never made to know the problems in respect of power supply, its transmission and distribution."

He referred to a specific case of his Lakhipur constituency where the 10 kv substation at Poilapool has been out of order for more than 18 months, but he has never been informed of it. He laid stress on better coordination for better services. He reminded Barak Valley has to depend upon outside sources to meet its peak hour need of 80 MW. The Sreekona substation has been set up at an estimated cost of Rs 12.9 crore.

Parliamentary Secretary for Finance Ajit Singh speaking on the occasion said with the coming up of the power project at Kalain to be set up by BHEL, the power problem of this valley would be greatly eased. Others who addressed the assembly on the occasion included MLAs Kutub Ahamed Mazumdar and Dr Rumi Nath, CPM leader Deepak Bhattacharjee, and officials- P K Bagchi and Girban Biswas. source: the sentinel assam