1 lakh solar pumps to be installed across Haryana, says Khattar
CHANDIGARH: Reiterating that Haryana government is against the ‘concept of free electricity’ as this ‘neither benefits the consumers nor the government’, chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday said 1 lakh solar pumps will be installed to reduce the power subsidy bill of the agriculture sector.
Addressing chairpersons and members of the Electricity Regulatory Commissions of different states in a meeting organised by Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission, the chief minister said though some states have pursued the policy of free power to consumers, Haryana has rejected this concept as ‘free electricity is no electricity’.
Khattar said the concept of free electricity ‘neither benefits the consumers nor the government’ and that people of Haryana have also understood this and are fully supporting the government.
“The Haryana government has taken stringent steps to check non-payment of electricity bills,” the chief minister said, informing that the public cooperated with government’s appeal to pay the bills.
The state government, he said, provided relief to the consumers by waiving off the overcharge.
The defaulting consumers were given option to pay the principal amount in instalments and the interest and surcharge of crores of rupees was also waived off.
Govt promoting solar energy, says Khattar Stating that almost free electricity is being given to the agriculture sector in Punjab and Haryana, the chief minister said Haryana government has been promoting solar energy to reduce the power subsidy bill.
“Under this, 30,000 solar connections have been given and the work of giving 50,000 more solar connections is underway. A target has been set to provide a total of 1 lakh solar connections,” Khattar said.
He said the use of solar energy in agriculture sector has resulted in reducing the power subsidy bill from earlier ₹ 7,200 crore to ₹ 5,500 crore.
To promote solar energy in government buildings, the rooftop solar policy has been implemented, he said.
The chief minister said that 5,680 villages in the state (80%) were getting 24-hour power supply.
Khattar said the state government has not increased the electricity rates in the last eight years.
The chief minister said that the state government has been toying with the idea that more concessions can be given to the people who consume up to 50 units of electricity.
“The state government will discuss this proposal with the Electricity Regulatory Commission,” he said.
Chief minister Khattar said that the line loss in the state was 29% in 2014, which has come down to 14% as result of which about ₹ 6,000 crore have been saved.