BJP telling lies about Pekhubela power project, say ministers
Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Anirudh Singh and Technical Education Minister Rajesh Dharmani today accused BJP leaders of spreading lies regarding the Pekhubela solar power project in Una.
Jaswan-Pragpur MLA Bikram Thakur today levelled allegations of irregularities with regard to the Pekhubela solar power project. The ministers, while countering Bikram Thakur’s charges, said that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had already clarified the matter in the Vidhan Sabha with supporting documents.
As regards the allegation that a project similar to the Pekhubela project was constructed at a lower cost in Gujarat, the ministers said that the Pekhubela project was superior to the project in Gujarat. They added that the 35 MW Lakadia project was awarded for Rs 215.79 crore in June 2022 though its orginal estimated cost was Rs 140 crore and the construction timeline was 30 months. “Even now, the project is incomplete. Its direct current (DC) capacity stands at 38.05 MW, whereas the 32 MW Pekhubela project, built with state-of-the-art technology, has a DC capacity of 45.05 MW, which is significantly higher than the Lakadia solar power project,” they added.
The ministers said that the Pekhubela project was awarded in May 2023 for Rs 220 crore and was completed in a record time of six months. It also included an eight-year operation and maintenance contract as part of the project cost. “Moreover, the guaranteed annual power generation at Pekhubela is 20.66 lakh units as compared to 20.14 lakh units at Lakadia. In case of underperformance, the Pekhubela developer is liable to pay a penalty of Rs 3.71 per unit whereas there is no such clause in the Lakadia contract,” they added.
They said that the developers of the Pekhubela project had provided a 10 per cent bank guarantee compared to just 5 per cent in the Lakadia project. Pekhubela also features a 132 kV transmission system while Lakadia has only a 66 kV capacity. “These facts clearly demonstrate that the Pekhubela project outperforms Lakadia in terms of technology, economics and overall project management,” the duo said. —
