The move follows Union power minister P R Kumaramangalam's meeting with prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on October 17 at which the prime minister had expressed concern over the slow progress of power projects in the country.

These task forces have been assigned the role of monitoring and ensuring timely completion of power projects.

Official sources disclosed that during the meeting, the prime minister had emphasised that power projects should be implemented on a `fast track mode' and commented that `the physical implementation of these projects will have tremendous spin-off effect on the economy in general'.

The respective task forces have been asked to co-ordinate and solve all the problems pointed out by the respective project executing agencies.

Sources said that the four task forces have been asked by Kumaramangalam to work out a target, in their respective sectors, to beachieved by the end of the current financial year and get it approved by him before October 31.

Kumaramangalam has also asked these task forces to submit a fortnightly report to him on the progress of each project, sources added.

Hydro power has been given topmost priority and the task force on the hydel sector will be headed by the power minister himself.

The other members of the hydel task force include the joint secretary, hydro, ministry of power, J S Vasudevan, member, hydro, Central Electricity Authority (CEA), D V Khera, CMD, National Hydro-Electric Power Corporation (NHPC), Yogendra Prasad, CMD, NHPC, Arun Gupta, CMD, THDC, M L Gupta, GM, NEEPCO, R P Sharma and PS to the power minister, J S Raju.

Another task force on thermal projects has been constituted under the chairmanship of the secretary, power, V K Pandit along with other members including the CMD, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Rajendra Singh, JS, thermal, ministry of power, C R Gayatri and member, thermal, CEA, V KSood.

The remaining two task forces on systems and IPP projects, respectively, will be headed by special secretary Pradip Baijal.

The task force on systems will have the joint secretary, ministry of power, Anil Razdan, member (PS), CEA, V K Sood as its members and the task force on IPPs will have the chairman, Power Grid, R P Singh and the joint secretary (IPC), ministry of power, Rakesk Kacker as its members.

In addition to the constitution of these task forces the power ministry has recently constituted another committee that will look into power trade with Pakistan, following a directive from the prime minister's office.

This committee will be headed by Baijal and would negotiate on the terms and conditions for buying surplus power from Pakistan. This committee will look into power purchases to the tune of 2000 mw from Pakistan.