Power minister urges industrialists to invest in infrastructure

State Power Minister Sobhandeb Chatterjee on Saturday urged the industrialists from across the country to invest towards the building of infrastructure in the state. He was speaking at 7th Energy Conclave organised by CII Eastern Region at a city hotel on Saturday.

He appealed to the investors present at the programme to make the state a destination of investments. He also said that various development works have been initiated by his department which will benefit the people. While giving an account on the remarkable achievements of his department in the past few years, Chatterjee said that all the households in Bengal will get electricity by March 2017.

“Our Government is fully aware that power is the key to development in all areas – industry, agriculture, education, etc,” he said adding “This was the reason why the state government has turned its focus on electrifying all households. As on today, 97 per cent households in West Bengal have been electrified,” Mr Chattopadhyay said. 

He also said the State Government is trying hard to popularise renewable energy which could be the answer to the increasing needs for power. He also explained the necessity of indulging in the renewable energy resources to generate power.

Rajesh Pandey, Chairman and Managing Director, WBSEDCL, who was also present at the programme, said that the transmission system has been upgraded. In his view, issues such as stability of grid, price parity need to be urgently addressed. “WBSEDCL is in the forefront, not only in terms of access, but also in terms of services. Ensuring reliability, quality and affordability is our focus,” Mr Pandey said.

Mr S D Dubey, Chairman, Central Electricity Authority, Union Ministry of Power, said the Central Government has taken some important initiatives to rev up the crucial sector. The primary objective is to make sure quality power is made available at reasonable rate.