Punjab develops cold feet over border proximity, loses N-plant to Haryana

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Chandigarh: Punjab, which has been dilly dallying at a proposal by the Centre to set up a nuclear plant citing reasons like close proximity to the border with Pakistan, has finally lost it to Haryana.

Kumharia in Fatehabad district (Haryana) is not far away from the place that was planned for the plant in Punjab. Another NPP in close vicinity now seems unlikely, sources in Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal’ office said.

Punjab’s case for allocation of a light water reactor-based nuclear power plant was taken up with power minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Sunday by Badal and minister for food & supply Adesh Partap Singh Kairon.

Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda confirmed “The Centre has given approval in principle to the Kumharia site in Fatehabad district for setting up of a nuclear power project. A communication to this effect has been received from the chairman and managing director of Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC).”

Now, NPC plans to move to the next stage for acquisition of land and pre-project activities.

“Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited would be the nodal agency for this project on behalf of the state government,” officials said.

Punjab has now said, “The state has long international border with Pakistan and it has been supplying power from its own resources for special lighting system, defence connections and agricultural tube wells between fencing and international border. Thus, the state needs to be compensated for that.”

Projections by Central Electricity Authority (CEA) for current financial year with peak load shortage of 28.3% have rung alarm bells.