With private power projects in Uttar Pradesh stuck in litigation, no new projects are likely to be commissioned in the next three years, G P Singh, chairman, UP State Electricity Board (UPSEB), said on Tuesday. Work on any of the power projects is yet to begin even after power purchase agreements were signed over two to three years back due to disagreements on one or more issues by the private producers themselves, Singh lamented at a meeting organised by the Phdcci.

The state faces a peak electricity demand increase of 3,500 mw after the year 2000. R P Dubey, director general, reforms project management organisation (UPSEB) informed that since the last few years the state electricity board has been continuously initiating steps for better performance of its thermal stations and also to reduce T&D losses and to check the theft of power. He informed that for the last three years, UPSEB run power stations have maintained a plf O.49 per cent.

TN not toobject hydel projects on Karnataka border

The Tamil Nadu public works department will not have any objection to the setting up of four hydro power plants in the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border across the Cauvery river, if the state electricity board (TNEB) ensured that the inflow of 205 tmc ft Cauvery water to the state, was not affected by the project.

This was disclosed TO reporters by PWD minister Durai Muruganafter a meeting with state electricity minister Arcot N Veerasamy and concerned officials. He said the TNEB should work out MoU with the National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) in such a way that it did not affect the inflow of Cauvery water from Karnataka to the state, as guaranteed by the interim award of the Cauvery water disputes tribunal. It was the state's stand that the quantum of water should not be affected in any way by the project, he added. The NHPC proposes to set up two hydel plants at Sivasamudhram and Mehadadu in Karnataka and Rasimannal and Hogenakkal in Tamil Nadu.

NTPCcontractors association protests violation of contract terms

The construction works at the plan site of the NTPC at Kayamkulam was held up on Tuesday by the NTPC Contractor Association in protest against the alleged violation of contract rules by the management. Association secretary Gopala Krishnan, vice-president G Krishnankutty and organising secretary Dominic told reporters that the NTPC officials had refused to clear the bills of the works already executed against the norms and created disruptions in the progress of construction works.

The association urged the Union and state government to conduct an inquiry into, what they described as anti-institutional activities of the bureaucrats at the plant and alleged corrupt practices in awarding contracts.

All steps to keep mountain railway operational: ministerIndian Railways would spare no efforts to keep the century-old Nilgiris Mountain Railway (NMR) operational in view of its possibile inclusion in Unesco's world heritage list of cultural andnatural properties, railways minister Nitish Kumar said on Tuesday. The minister, who was participating in the centenary celebrations of the Nilgiris Mountain Railway, said the NMR was being run despite the fact that operations on this route were not economically viable. Though patronage of the mountain railway had come down with increase in road traffic, no one could deny that it still captured the imagination of the public, the minister said.