Will try to make Power dept self-sufficient: Aroop

KOLKATA: Soon after taking charge, state Power Minister Aroop Biswas on Wednesday said his priority would be to make the department self-sufficient and completely subsidy free.

"The state government still has to give Rs 850-900 crore to this department. I will try to make this department self-sufficient and independent of any such subsidy," Biswas said after holding a meeting with senior officials of his department.

He also stressed on procuring coal from the state's own resources and reducing dependency on Coal India for running the thermal power stations across the state. "We have six coal mines and the second largest coal reserve in the world is coming up at Deocha Pachami in Birbhum. We have to channelise the coal reserves in the state in such a manner that we do not need to buy much from Coal India," Biswas said.

He maintained that after going through certain details on the functioning of the Power department, which is completely new sector for him, he would conduct surprise visits at the power stations in different parts of the state. "I am a person who loves to get into the depth of things. It is a very challenging department and my predecessor Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay has done an excellent job. I will give my best efforts," Biswas added.