By SHUBHAJIT Chakraborty

Punjab, March 3 – Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had expressed his desire to construct a nuclear power plant, or at least vying a share in a mega nuclear plant in another state to cope up with the power shortage in the state. He said this while laying a foundation stone of the 1,320 MW Rajpura thermal power plant.

Earlier Punjab government resisted the nuclear power plant in the state because of the population density. However, when neighboring state Haryana and later on other states bagged a status of nuclear plant, the state can no more resist the temptation and demanded one. Although with this new thermal power plant, deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal was hoping that it would supply enough power and state therefore wouldn’t need any nuclear power plant.

Earlier at a public rally after the foundation stone laying ceremony, CM announced that after the construction of thermal plant electricity would be cheaper and be supplied uninterrupted once the envisaged power projects in the state began production. At present 19,80 MW Talwandi Sabo thermal plant and the 540 MW Goindwal power plant work is on the progress and after that work on the Rajpura thermal plant had also started, and would be completed in four years at a cost of Rs 9,000 crore by Larsen and Toubro.

Mr. Badal also blamed Congress for lack lustre attitude towards power production for many years in the state.

“Our regime has started work on three mega power projects in three years of its rule,” he said.

Later on Larsen and Toubro chairman A.M Naik affirmed that the project would come up early and could be completed less than 48 months official time. He also gave another proposal to expand the Rajpura plant for another 660 MW at a cost of Rs. 4,500 crore.