REL, Tata evince interest in Punjab power plants

Corporate leaders like Reliance Energy and Tata group have evinced interest in Punjab government's proposed three power plants of 5,000 mw - a move that will make the state power surplus within three and half years.

"Total power generation in Punjab is 6,500 mw against the demand of 9,000 mw, a shortage of about 30 per cent. It has been decided to install three power plants of 5,000 mw on BOT basis to make the state a power surplus state," Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal, who was campaigning for civic polls, told reporters.

Badal said 90 per cent formalities to install the power plants in Amritsar, Goindwal and Sangrur have already been completed and tenders would be called soon. One project with coal mines has been awarded to GVK Power.

Later on such projects would also be installed in Bathinda, he said. Badal said the metro rail project in Punjab would be build under public-private-participation mode. The state government officials would meet Delhi Metro chief E Sreedharan to discuss viability of the project.

The chief minister said international airports have been sanctioned at Mohali and Sahnewal, near Ludhiana. On being asked about the proposal of using air force stations at Adampur and Halwara for civil purposes, Badal said the ministry of defence has declined the proposal on security grounds.

However, talks were on for the use of Bhatinda Air Force airport for civil use. Refuting opposition's allegation that the state government was under heavy debt, he said there was a debt of Rs 5,380 crore (Rs 53.8 billion) when he took over as chief minister and now the situation was improving.