BHOPAL: “The Maheshwar project is a hot cake for both the Congress and the BJP. The state government wanted to provide financial benefits to the private power producer company at any cost,” alleged Aam Admi Party state coordinator Alok Agarwal while speaking to media persons here on Thursday.
Agarwal said the Maheshwar power project was under construction on Narmada and 400 mega watt power would be produced by private firm S Kumar’s.
He alleged former CM Digvijay Singh had pressured the Union government to pass the project, though then forest minister Jairam Ramesh had refused to give permission to continue the project. Ultimately the former CM compelled the Centre to provide permission. Similarly CM Chouhan was also pursuing the project. In the state already 2,300 crore units were surplus, but the CM wanted to start the project at any cost, he said.
He alleged the project would produce 80 crore units and cost Rs 20 per unit. Not only this, the state government was going to pay Rs 1,200 crore per year for 35 years as a fixed cost of the project. “This will create Rs 42,000 crore financial drain on the state economy.” “The state is already selling power for Rs 2.45 per unit to other states and was going to purchase power on higher cost from private company,” Agarwal further said.
He also alleged that in 2012, MP Power Management Company had served ‘Notice of Default’ stating that it ‘shall be constrained of terminate the Power Produce Agreement’, but the government did not cancel the contract and the company remained in business, which was incapability of the government.