Odisha to set up 550 grids in 2 yrs, to invest Rs 1,650 cr

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Thursday decided to set up 550 grid stations within the next two years at an investment of Rs 1,650 crore to strengthen electricity transmission and distribution.

The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

The grid stations would be of 33kv and 11kv capacities with funding from the state government, a senior official of energy department said.

The state government felt it essential to strengthen both transmission and distribution because of increase in the number of consumers.

Of the 14,856 villages identified for electrification under the Rajiv Gandhi Grameen Vidyutkaran Yojana, work was completed in 13,456 villages.

"The chief minister asked the department to complete electrification of the remaining 1400 villages by March this year," the official said.

Altogether 16.20 lakh families of the 27.94 lakh BPL families targeted were provided electricity connections.

However, 100 villages in Puri, Baragarh, Nuapada, Keonjhar, Kalahandi, Kandhamal and Bhadrak districts with more than 100 families each were yet to be electrified, they said.

The government aimed to compete electrification work under RGGVY during the 12th plan period.

Electrification work under the Biju Gramin Jyoti Yojana and Biju Saharanchal Jyoti Yojana were being undertaken smoothly the meeting was told.