36 infrastructure projects get the go-ahead from Cabinet panel

Prime Minister (PM) Manmohan Singh gave green signal to 36 infrastructure projects worth about Rs2 lakh crore across sectors such as power, ports, roads, cement and petroleum. Apart from ironing out procedural issues, the PM-headed Cabinet Committee on Investment (CCI) has set deadlines for the projects.

With this, 28 power projects have received a significant push from the apex level. These projects had been facing a variety of hurdles relating to coal linkages, environment issues and forest clearances.

Eighteen projects requiring an investment of Rs1.1 lakh crore had been facing delays relating to fuel supply agreements (FSAs). Forest clearances for captive mines of Reliance Power’s Sasan ultra mega power project in Madhya Pradesh and Essar Power’s Todi power plant in Jharkhand were also discussed by the panel.

“The CCI has asked for signing the pacts by September 6.

The CCI has asked for immediate resolution of issues hurting the progress of other infrastructure projects within the next two months,” the government said in a statement.

The government had asked state-owned Coal India to sign FSAs with power companies for  78,000 mw projects for which are to be commissioned by March 2015. “The miner has so far signed FSAs for 42,000 mw,” the government said.

The coal ministry has agreed to get FSAs signed for 15 power projects entailing an investment of Rs77,000 crore, including a Rs4,000 crore project of Adani Power and a Rs6,000 crore project of the GMR Group.

Other power projects considered included the Rs7,400 crore project of JAS Infra and Power in Jharkhand, Athena Power’s Rs6,200 crore plant in Chhattisgarh and Jaiprakash Power Ventures’s Rs8,100 crore Nigire project.