JOIN USAddressing the concerns of the industrialists from the Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC) at an interactive session, the Minister said that along with the Udupi thermal power project (500 mw), Raichur power project, 3rd unit (250 mw) and renewable energy projects (500 mw) the State will see at least 1,500 mw added to its capacity by next year. The Udupi Thermal Power Project is set to start from January-February 2010 and the new Raichur and Bellary units, the 4,000 mw ultra power project under the National Transmission Power Corporation (NTPC) in Kodigi, Bijapur, are on course with land acquisitions underway, he added.
Power theft
Citing the urgent need to stem power theft, Eshwarappa said that the State had collected Rs 40 crore in just four months as penalty from the accused. “We had collected Rs 55 crore in penalty last fiscal and this year it has jumped a huge sum,” he said. IGP Vigilance and Enforcement, KPTCL, Alok Mohan said that at least 10 per cent of the accused were industrialists with another 20 per cent from temporary connections that had stayed over a period.