Cabinet nod for 3 gas power plants

Preliminary talks have been held with Gas Authority of India Ltd: Acharya

The Energy department will prepare the DPR, set up the plants at Athani in Belgaum district, Mundargi in Gadag district and Harappanahalli in Davangere district under public private participation basis. These three plants will be over and above 2000 MW generation plant planned at Bidadi near Bangalore, Home Minister V S Acharya told reporters.

“We want to tap the availability of gas pipeline in the State. Hence these three projects have been planned. Preliminary talks have been held with Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) in this regard. The DPR is likely to be prepared by December this year,” he stated.
Each of these plants may require around 300 acre land. The Government is ready to provide water and land to the private partner to implement the project. All details of the way the projects should be implemented will be worked out in coming days, Acharya added.

Besides, the Cabinet gave its approval to the Government’s recent decision to invoke the emergency powers under Section 11 of the Electricity Act, 2003, making it mandatory for all power generators to sell their power to the State grid. The Cabinet decided to upgrade the existing two-lane road between Hubli and Dharwad into a four-lane road at the cost of Rs 155.40 crore.

The Cabinet also approved the lond-pending draft of Karnataka Maritime Board Bill which envisages development of Karwar, Belekeri, Tadri, Honnavar, Bhatkal, Kundapur, Hangarkatta, Malpe and Old Mangalore-into all-weather, multi-cargo and multi-user ports of international standards.

Acharya said the Cabinet decided to amend the Karnataka Freedom Fighters Welfare Rules, inserting a provision that pensions for new cases should be given only from the date of issue of the Government Order. The Cabinet also accepted the report of Justice Basavantharaya Patil of Inquiry that probed the incident of police firing at Jhulaki in Bijapur in 2002. The report said firing was inevitable, he added.


Other decisions...

- M P Tiwari appointed Personal Secretary to the Governor on a contract basis
- To prorogue the budget session of the Legislature
- The special duty allowance to the personnel in the internal security wing and Anti-naxal force.
- Recruitment of 800 additional surveyors, 400 second divisional surveyors and 150 supervisors.
- Releasing Rs 7 crore grant to Mantralaya Mutt
- Rs 500 cr urban water supply scheme municipal bodies.