Guwahati, Jan 24: The Assam government plans to restructure the ailing state electricity board (ASEB) to improve power scenario in the state.Addressing a press conference here on Monday, state power minister Hitendra Nath Goswami said the restructuring was inevitable, adding he would like to avoid a showdown with the employees and encourage them for a healthy debate on the subject.The government had engaged the State Administration College, Hyderabad, to prepare a report on board's revival as also its restructuring. The government wants to place the report, now being debated by the employees unions, in the first-half of the Assembly Budget session beginning in March.The Bill is likely to be moved on restructuring by the second-half of the session and I hope the employees will understand the compulsion,'' he said, reassuring that the employees' interest would be safeguarded.
The plan envisages division of the entire operation of ASEB into three areas of operation, with ASEB retaining transmission part andleaving generation and distribution to private parties for better operations."Since most of our revenue comes from industrial consumers, we are of the opinion that separate zones be created and given to private parties for managing, " said the minister while admitting that most of the employees' unions of the 20,000-strong workforce have opposed it. "It is unfortunate that most of the unions have objected to it and only a handful are ready to accept the restructuring plan, albeit with some modification.
But the restructuring is inevitable'' said Goswami. Asked whether the state would face a situation as existing in Uttar Pradesh on the power front, he said he was trying to avoid it. "That was the reason why I encouraged the employees to go through the report so that a debate can take place. The Assembly should debate it and see the reasoning behind the restructuring of the ailing board which has a debt of over Rs 2,000 crore and basically survives on loans for day-to-day functioning," he said.
Powergeneration by the board has been crippled as only 75 mw were produced while the rest was imported from neighbouring states and other sources. The board has already taken a Rs 12 crore loan from the North-East Development Finance Corporation (NEDFC) for repairing all 2442 faulty transformers.Moreover, the Power Finance Corporation (PFC) has sanctioned an ASEB proposal of Rs 48.26 crore to improve power situation in five important towns of the state.
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