24,10,388 off the grid households in State!

GUWAHATI, March 26: You are in for a shock! As many as 24,10,388 families in Assam are off the grid. The shock-absorbing news, however, is that Dispur is ready to provide power connection to all these families by 2019.

Replying to a question from Phani Bhushan Choudhury of the AGP, State Power Minister Pallab Locan Das said: “We’re ready for providing power connection to all the 24,10,388 families by 2019 under the Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yoja (SAUBHAGYA).”

On the rising power demand in the State and the way to meet it, Das said: “Assam will need 2,200 MW of power everyday during the summer against 1,700 MW during the winter when each and every family in the State will be given power connection. While a portion of this power will be met from our own generation by APGCL, the rest of the power demand will be met from NEEPCO, Tripura Power Company, NTPC, NHPC, HPCL, Indian Energy Express and Central Sector Generation Stations (CSGS).”

Das further said that from 2006-07 to February 28, 2018 as many as 11,040 villages were electrified in the State, besides partial electrification to 18,171 other villages. “Around 90 per cent works of the rural electrification work orders issued in 2016-17 are over. In fiscal 2017-18, work orders have been issued in this January,” Das said, and added: “The contractors have been asked to speed up the work.”