GUWAHATI, June 29 - Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has asked the power department to formulate a comprehensive policy for harnessing solar power in the State to ensure uninterrupted power supply to all villages and towns. He also asked the department to put in place a complaint box to address the grievances of the consumers on a priority basis, said an official press release here.
Chairing a meeting of the power department in the conference room of his office at Janata Bhawan here today, the Chief Minister asked the department to look for ways and means to address the shortfall of electricity requirement through generation of power. Informing that the State has been receiving proposals from prospective investors for setting up solar power projects in the State, he said that in the absence of a well laid-out policy for solar power, the process has hit a roadblock.
Sonowal also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been laying emphasis on alternative sources of energy and to achieve success in harnessing non-conventional sources of energy, solar power has to be tapped to the fullest potential.
He also asked the authorities concerned to initiate a process for filling up the vacant posts to lend momentum to the department. Reviewing the different projects of the department which have hit a roadblock or could not be started yet, Sonowal asked the Additional Chief Secretary, Power, to put responsible officers in charge of those projects to ensure their early commissioning.
The Chief Minister also took stock of the progress of the work relating to Deendayal Upadhaya Gram Jyoti Scheme and asked the Additional Chief Secretary along with other higher officials to plug all loopholes including the slackness on the part of the contractors to illuminate all the un-electrified villages on a war footing.
Minister of State for Power Pallab Lochan Das, Media Adviser to the Chief Minister Hrishikesh Goswami, Additional Chief Secretary Alak Kumar and other senior officers of the power department were present at the meeting.
Guwahati distribution network: Expressing concern at the recent electrocution-related deaths in the city following flash floods, Sonowal asked the power department to carry out a survey to inspect the status of transformers, wires etc., in Guwahati as well as other areas to avoid recurrence of such incidents.
