Ananth Kumar: Bangalore needs own power plant

With the Dabhol to Bidadi pipeline slated to be completed this year, it is vital that Bangalore  gets a dedicated power plant, said Ananth Kumar, MP.

During the launch of KSRTC and BMTC buses and the coffee table book that showcases the growth of transport, Kumar said that a separate power plant is essential, considering the transmission and distribution losses that the state had to suffer.

At present, the distribution and transmission losses to the state stand at 16%. With the acute power shortages that the city has to suffer and keeping in mind the growing needs of the city, Kumar pointed out that every metro city in the country has a dedicated power plant already.

Once the pipeline is ready, compressed natural gas (CNG) can be transported to the city, which will eliminate the need for coal and water.

"Delhi is already run through CNG. A dedicated power plant using CNG is necessary and we have to take it to the central government," he said.

"Using CNG instead of fossil fuel can reduce the city's temperature by at least 5%. With this, Bangalore will once again be an air conditioned city," he added.

Stressing on the efforts to reduce pollution and taking up environment-friendly initiatives, Kumar lashed out at the central government for not considering the state's demand for a suburban rail network seriously.

Using public transport like the BMTC, Namma Metro and local trains, there would be a drastic reduction in the number of vehicles on the road, he said.

"Although the minister of state for railways, KH Muniyappa, is from Karnataka, he has not been able to do anything with regard to giving the city a much-needed local train network, even though we have agreed to share the costs," he said.

He said that the state needed to learn from other cities to incorporate electric as well as solar energy buses to reduce pollution.