Rajmahal MP raises DVC-Jharkhand row in Parliament

Ranchi, February 10: In Lok Sabha, JMM MP from Rajmahal Vijay Hansda raised the issue of power cut by DVC  on Thursday. 
The MP said that this behavior of the Central government Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC)  is not right. “Jharkhand is being harassed by the Central PSU for outstanding power dues which happened during previous government. If we stop coal, how will the country run? Where there is no BJP government. There is a lack of coordination between the central government and the state government. There should be co-operation between the central and state government,” said Hansda. 
Criticising the BJP-led Central government, the MP said that on one side Central PSU is threatening of power disruption and the Centre is indulging in politics in the Parliament over the same issue. “We should not do politics on this sensitive issue. The central and state government should solve this by establishing coordination,” said Vijay Hansda. 

He said that Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren has started green ration card in Jharkhand to give food to the poor. Dhoti-sari is being given to the poor for Rs.10. Poor people are being given a concession of Rs 10 per liter on petrol. In other states also many welfare schemes are running the Central government should start similar welfare schemes across the country. He also asked for tax rebate as it is leading to taxation pressure on the state. 

Incidentally, in January this year Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) had agreed to resume its supply of 600 MW power to Jharkhand every day ending the electricity crisis in parts of the state after state  education Minister Jagarnath Mahto had a meeting with DVC Chairman R N Singh, who was summoned by the state government over power disruptions in seven districts.

Finance Minister Rameshwar Oraon accompanied Mahato to the meeting.

Irked over frequent power cuts in the districts of Jharkhand’s North Chotanagpur Division, Mahto  had threatened discontinuation of coal and water supply to DVC if the situation did not improve.

“In the presence of the Finance Minister … the issue of power cut was discussed with the DVC’s chairman and its board officials. DVC has assured that uninterrupted 600 MW power supply will be resumed from midnight (Saturday),” Mahto said after the meeting.

Taking a dig at the power major, the education minister said that Coal India owes Rs 60,000 crore to the state government, but “does that mean we should stop its mining operations”.

DVC, in a letter to Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Ltd (JBVNL), said that it has decided to stop regulating power supply to Jharkhand.

The organisation also said that it would place its request for monthly payment in full and a road map for liquidation of outstanding dues before the state government on February 1.

Mahto stated that the government will try to settle the disputes with DVC, which has quoted Rs 2,100 crore as outstanding dues.

He had earlier said that people of Jharkhand would “not tolerate DVC’s arm-twisting tactics and coal and water supply to the organisation’s plants would be stopped if normal power supply isn’t restored”.

BJP’s Dhanbad Sadar MLA Raj Sinha had also taken exception to the alleged arbitrary power disruptions and began a 72 hours sit-in on Thursday in protest.

Chief Minister Hemant Soren had recently alleged that the Centre was meting out a “step-motherly treatment” to Jharkhand, with Coal India not paying the state the “huge money” it owed while funds get auto-debited from the RBI account for Damodar Valley Corporation.