TIWN
AGARTALA, April 24 (TIWN): All though Tripura government started with the supply of 100 MW power to Bangladesh but as of now with the passage of days it has become unable to meet up the demand of 100 MW power supply to Bangladesh.
When Tripura is hit with massive power crisis, the Tripura government with all its effort marked the supply of the 100MW power to Bangladesh with the formal inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bangladeshi Premier Sheikh Hasina through video conferencing but now the state is unable to continue with supply and in now buying power to export to Bangladesh.
Despite of several tall claims by the ministerial authority of the state saying that with the commencement of Palatana and with the extension hand of the other power plants of the state, Tripura will be a load-shedding free State, till day the civilians are facing unscheduled load shedding frequently.
Where the State Government claims to make the capital a smart city on the other hand they fails to provide the basic necessity that is a load shedding free State. The people of the capital where has to face prolonged hours of load shedding, in the interior parts there are people who are continuing their life in dark for several days.
The Tripura Government has decided to export 100 MW to Bangladesh from its share of 196 MW power from the Palatana power plant in reciprocation of Dhaka allowing Tripura to use its ports to transport the heavy equipment for the 726 MW Palatana project.
Tripura's location and socio-economic linkages with Bangladesh makes the state a potential hub for trade with and through Bangladesh from the entire north-eastern region of India.
It is to be mentioned here that, India has inked an agreement to supply 100 MW of electricity to Bangladesh from the gas-based palatana power plant from Tripura at ₹5.50 a unit more or less identical to the weighted average generation tariff of 6.50 in Bangladesh. India currently supplies 500 MW to Dhaka through the West Bengal border.
On the one hand Tripura government has kicked off 100MW power supply to Bangladesh but a bitter truth is that TSECL is about to pay crores of money to the power plants in Tripura and no major initiative is taken to clear the bills. It is seen that Tripura is under huge debt of total 100 crores, which is yet to be paid to the power plants based in Tripura.
Although Tripura Govt. gave lands to Palatana Plant, but due to this debt of crores, TSECL is dumped with various problems. Now question arises, when Tripura is under such huge debts, then how Manik government will continue with the power supply to Bangladesh.