The Congress on Thursday attacked the BJP-led Gujarat government for destroying State-run public-sector power plants to benefit select private power producers.
Amid claims of being a power-surplus State, the Gujarat government, during the 2002-2016 period, paid ₹62,549 crore to four private power producers to purchase electricity, even as the government power plants ran at a remarkably low plant load factor (PLF) of 33-38 per cent, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala stated here.
“The culture of crony capitalism propagated by the BJP government can be gauged from the fact that in the last three years alone, during 2013-14 to 2015-16, the State purchased electricity worth ₹26,195 crore from four private power companies — Adani Power, Essar, Tata and China Light Power,” claimed Surjewala. He went on to allege a nexus between the private power producers and the BJP leaders. As against an installed capacity of 8,641 MW, the State government produced only 3,283 MW.
Surjewala asserted that during the Congress’ rule in the State till 1995-92, the total capacity of State-run power plants was 4,345 MW. The PLF then, Surjewala claimed, was 57 per cent in 1991-92, 61.6 per cent in 1992-93, and 60.4 per cent in 1993-94.
“This shows that after 22 years, State-run units are producing less electricity than even installed capacity when the Congress demitted power. The way government has procured power from the private players, it stinks of a planned scam,” Surjewala said, adding that the State government procured power at ‘unimaginably high rates of ₹24.67 per unit as against the centrally-run NTPC’s rate of ₹2.88-3.17 per unit.