Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today inaugurated 5 high-capacity grid substations in 4 districts of the state. Total Rs 254 crore has been spent for the substations which were installed at Hinjilikatu in Ganjam district, Kalimela in Malkangari, Birmaharajpur in Subarnapur and Godisahi and Bahugram in Cuttack districts. These will benefit 2 lakh people of these 4 districts.
On this occasion, the Chief Minister said that there is a need for good electricity to improve the standard of living of the people. Keeping this in mind, the state government is giving special attention to the development of electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure in the state.
Addressing the audience through video conferencing, the Chief Minister said that there is a need for good and uninterrupted electricity in all sectors of agriculture, industry and general life. Electricity is important to all of us. So the Chief Minister appealed to the public not to waste it unnecessarily.
It is worth noting that a strong infrastructure has been developed in the field of power transmission in the state. Currently, there are 185 Extra High Voltage Grid Sub-Stations in the state, while there is a network of 16,000 circuit kilometers.
Participating in the program, Energy Minister Pratap Keshari Deb said that due to the vision of the Chief Minister, today Odisha has become a surplus state in terms of electricity. He opined that the Chief Minister’s efforts to promote industrialization and employment in the state by improving the power distribution system of Odisha are succeeding.
On this occasion, Odisha Coal and Power Limited donated Rs 20 crore to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. In the presence of the Chief Minister, the cheque was presented to the departmental Minister Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra.
The Chief Minister praised the state government for making this organization profitable in a very short period of time. The Chief Minister said that during the first six months of 2022-23, OCPL has made a profit of Rs 626 crore and achieved a 60 percent increase in coal production.
Berhampur MP Chandrashekhar Sahu, Nabarangpur MP Ramesh Chandra Majhi, Birmaharajpur MLA Padmanabh Behera and Banki MLA Debiranjan Tripathi participated in the program through video conferencing and thanked the Chief Minister for his efforts in the development of electricity and industrialization in the state.
Secretary to CM (5T) VK Pandian conducted the program.
Nikunj Bihari Dhal, Additional Chief Secretary, Power, delivered the welcome address and the Chairman of OPTCL proposed vote of thanks. Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra and senior officials of the Energy Department were present in the program.
