AGARTALA, August 30 (TIWN): Just after the northeastern states of Tripura agreed to dispatch power to neighbouring Bangladesh which is currently in pipeline, the state government had in the recent past urged the centre to ease the power evacuation system from northeast to the mainland states.

“The high power transmission line from Assam’s Biswanath Chariyali to Delhi’s Agra will be energised very shortly,” said state power minister Manik Dey.

The line has been erected with a cost of Rs. 12, 000 crore giving a major fillip in the power transmission between the northeast and mainland state.

Dey said that once the line is energised power of northeastern states could be sold to other mainland power deficit states of the country. However, but the centre on its recent move has come up to collect money by imposing transmission tariff on the northeastern states, Dey pointed out.

The North East Region Power Committee (NERPC) is also against the move being undertaken by the centre.

Dey added that all the power ministers of the region are of opinion that the money spent for erection of high power transmission line should be collected from the power system development fund which has already swelled to Rs. 1 lakh crore.

The NERPC had suggested the centre to collect tariff from the power system development fund instead of imposing the tariff on northeastern states. Besides, Dey also said that NERPC will also urge the centre to lift the penalty of power shutdown immediately.