Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday inaugurated five high capacity gird substations in 4 districts of the State.
Being developed at the cost of Rs 254 crore, the grid substations will benefit more than 2 lakh people in the districts of Ganjam, Malkangiri, Cuttack and Subarnapur.
The substations are located in Hinjilicut in Ganjam, Birmaharajpur in Subarnapur district, Bahugram and Godisahi in Cuttack district, and Kalimela in Malkangiri district.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that there is a need for good electricity service to improve the standard of living of the people.
Keeping this in mind, the State Government is giving special attention to the development of electricity transmission and distribution infrastructure in the State, he added.
Addressing the people through video conferencing, the Chief Minister said that there is a need for good and uninterrupted electricity in all sectors including agriculture, industry and general life. Electricity is important to all of us, the CM said while urging people not to misuse electricity.
It is worth noting that a strong infrastructure has been developed in the field of power transmission in the State.
Currently, there are 185 Extra High Voltage Grid Sub-Stations in the State. There is also a network of 16,000 circuit kilometers.
Participating in the program, Energy Minister Pratap Keshari Deb said that Odisha has become a surplus State in the field of electricity due to the vision of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
The Chief Minister’s efforts to promote industrialization and employment in the State by improving the power distribution system of Odisha are succeeding, he added.
On the occasion, Odisha Coal and Power Limited (OCPL) gave Rs 20 crore dividend to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund in the presence of Minister Pratap Deb and Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mahapatra.
The Chief Minister praised OCPL for making profit in a very short period of time.
He said that during the first six months of 2022-23, OCPL has made a profit of Rs 626 crore and achieved a 60 percent increase in coal production.
Secretary to CM (5T) VK Pandian has moderated the programme.
Additional Chief Secretary of Energy Department Nikunja Bihari Dhal and others were present on the occasion.