Karnataka - Bangalore

Power sector mismanaged: Moily

Bangalore: Central Administrative Reforms Commission Chairman M. Veerappa Moily on Monday partly attributed the shortage of power in the State to the failure of the Government to clear arrears of Rs. 450 crore owed to Central generating stations.

Speaking to presspersons here, the former Chief Minister held the State Government responsible for mismanaging the Raichur and Bellary thermal power stations, especially coal stocks. The officials responsible for the situation should be replaced in order to invigorate the management of the power plants.

He maintained that the 2,000-MW thermal power project planned as a joint venture with the National Thermal Power Corporation was not feasible. He stuck to his stand even when reminded of the statement made by Union Minister of State for Power Jairam Ramesh that power supply to the State had been affected by a shortage of coal and the NTPC project could provide some relief to power-starved Karnataka.

Previous governments had made huge investments in power projects, Mr. Moily said. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party Government had failed to get a grip on the power supply situation. Undue transfer of officials in the power sector had led to chaos for which the ruling party was responsible, he charged.

He attributed the success in getting Kannada declared a classical language to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance Government and Kannada activists and intelligentsia.

Now it was time for the Government to wake up and make use of the opportunity to develop the language and spread its influence all over the country.

Mr. Moily said that the Union Government could not restrain the Tamil Nadu Government from going ahead with the Rs. 1,334-crore Hogenakkal drinking water project because the matter was before the Supreme Court.

However, the Karnataka Government could move the apex court since it was the party affected by the decision of the neighbouring State. Since it was a bilateral issue between the two States, the Centre could not interfere and restrain Tamil Nadu on its own.

Mr. Moily, who is also Chairman of the Media Department of the All-India Congress Committee, declined to comment on the charge made by AICC general secretary Margaret Alva that money had changed hands in the nomination of party candidates in the recent Assembly elections in the State.

The Disciplinary Committee headed by Defence Minister A.K. Antony was considering the matter, and it was improper for party leaders to make remarks about the charges made by Ms. Alva.

Asked whether he was thinking of making recommendations to the Centre to amend the Anti-Defection Law to handle situations such as payment of money for party nominations and prevent developments such as ‘Operation Kamala’ resorted to by the Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka, he said had recommended certain measures in his report submitted to the Union Government.

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