AGARTALA, Dec 22 (TIWN): ‘Monarchak is totally failed project’, said Tripura Power Minister Manik Dey when he was asked about the status of Power Plants in Tripura. Whereas Tripura Govt yet to clear the unpaid bills to NEEPCO, the Minister said, Monarchak Power Project, located at Sonamura has totally failed to contribute here in Tripura. “The plant which began in 2002, even after crossing of 14 yrs it has failed to generate power and supply in Tripura", said Dey and further depicted that power generation is day by day deteriorating in Tripura. Dey also claimed that the whole India is suffering from same problem. Although in Tripura the power purchasing cost is low, but in many other states it’s much higher, Dey added.

Whereas India’s various plants are aimed with 65,185 MW power generation, due to various obstacles, total 30,070 MW production has been disrupted. 

NEEPCO Monarchak's failure is a big blow to Manik Sarkar led CPI-M Govt's industry infrastructures in Tripura.Tripura Govt recently took loans from United Bank of India at an amount of Rs. 250 crores with the interest of 9.90 rupees due to various unpaid bills.

Earlier it was reported that only to NEEPCO more than 180 cr the Govt was in due and NEEPCO was to cut the power facility to Tripura.

On the other hand talking to NEEPCO Tripura GM recently, he claimed the hurdle of the plants and the tension for gas supplying from ONGC to diminish soon as a very important commercial relation has set up between NEEPCO and ONGC on technical ground, which is to smoothen the ongoing hurdles facing by the plants here in Tripura. 

To run the projects in Tripura and many other hilly areas are bit challenges and the Memorandum of Understanding will bring a relief by expanding the changes of mutual cooperation between both the companies and also to strengthen the understanding of various project heads here.

Talking to TIWN, the NEEPCO GM S R Barman on Wednesday, he said, “Among the 17 MoUs dealt at President house it was one deal which was done between ONGC and NEEPCO which is based on technological transparency”.

Asking about the main objective of the deal, he said, “This is actually a mutual agreement of Industry & Academy; which is a sort of agreement where the ONGC and NEEPCO will go by research and to help each other either for any clarification or advice if the companies are facing during the project running”.

“Not only in Tripura, but the overall NEEPCO will be benefited from it”, said Biswas.

It’s worthy to mention that the Power Minister recently in a programme advised that people should make their homes scientifically so that during day time sunlight comes and no need of lights. But whereas he claimed that hooklines are available in Tripura, but what step will be taken against hook lines, he was totally silent about it. May be thinking about CPI-M’s vote banks at rural Tripura nothing is done by the state govt in this regard. He ended with a call for “awareness against hook lines’.

Thus it can be said that the ongoing power crisis which has hit the state may be worsened in coming days, as the power dept itself is under huge debts of un-cleared bills