Itanagar, Jan. 18: The power department has submitted a Rs 171-crore project to the Centre for the augmentation of the state?s power system and reduction in transmission cost. Arunachal power minister Lijum Royna said the project has already been sent to New Delhi for approval.
A 132 kV-project for Rs 53.17 crore, to take power from Ziro to Along via Daporijo, was targeted for completion by December this year. Royna said Rs 13 crore remained to be received from the department of development of northeastern region (Doner), which was financing the project.
Another project, financed by Doner, the 220-kV Kathalguri-Deomali power route, was expected to be completed by March. The state government has already received the project cost of Rs 29.45 crore, he said.
Royna dismissed the talks about mini hydro electric power projects in Arunachal Pradesh. He said the state needed mega projects, which would solve the problem of unemployment, improve the infrastructure, with new roads, bridges, schools and hospitals and boost the state?s tourism sector.
He said the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation ? Lower Subansiri Project, has already employed 22 local engineers and Neepco was also expected to follow suit.
Royna said Arunachal Pradesh would produce 50,000 MW of power by the end of the eleventh plan period, that is 2012, as envisaged by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Countering former state chief minister Mukut Mithi?s allegation that his government was financially a pauper and may not be able to pay salaries to its employees in the near future, Ronya said the state exchequer had a balance of Rs 139 crore with the Reserve Bank of India.