Wait for light ends

The Statesman, July 12, 2007

Statesman News Service
BHAWANIPATNA, July 11: After long wait of three years, 70 remote villages of Thuamul Rampur and Madanpur Rampur blocks of Kalahandi will at last get electrification benefit through non-conventional energy sources by coming December. The matter was reviewed here in the district level advisory committee of renewably energy, presided by the district collector Mr Pramod Kumar Patnaik.
It will be implemented by OREDA (Orissa Renewable Energy Development Agency) under the Remote Village Electrification Programme of the ministry of new and renewable energy, govt. of India. The ministry has provided central assistance of about Rs.4.38 crore for this purpose.
The beneficiary families will only have to pay Rs.5 towards membership and Rs. 100 for connection charges. Under this programme 40 villages of Thuamul Rampur block and 30 villages of Madanpur Rampur block will be benefited. Out of the 70 villages, 58 villages will be provided power by connection of individual solar energy system, five villages will be electrified by bio-mass power plant and 7 villages through Solar Power Plants.
Besides this project, proposals for non-conventional Electrification of 380 more remote villages pending for long was mooted. This proposal is pending because it has not yet received clearance from Wesco. The Advisory Committee requested Wesco for early release of clearance so that the proposals can be implemented early.
It was decided in the Advisory Committee to set up an Energy Park in the Agriculture Farm of the horticulture department located in Raisinghpur on the outskirts of Bhawanipatna town.
Various equipment generating non-conventional energy will be installed and operated in this farm which will work as a demonstration field for the people to educate them about operation and the benefits of non-conventional energy sources.
Among others Lok Sabha member Mr Bikram Keshari Deo, Mrs. Aradhana Nanda, Mrs. Saraswati Hota, Bharat Bhusan Deo, Bhawani Kar and different line department officials participated in the meeting.