The ambitious plans of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to enter the power sector have to be now put on a back-foot.
The ambitious plans of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to enter the power sector have to be now put on a back-foot. The authority in June 2009 had decided to tie up with the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and Central Railways (CR) to revive a 700MW power plant in Thakurli. While the plant revival is on schedule, the MMRDA has been kept out of it.
“We are not involved in the power plant any more,” said a senior official of the authority on condition of anonymity. As per the plans made by the then-MMRDA metropolitan commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad, the power generated at this plant was to be used exclusively for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. “This would have made the entire region virtually a ‘load shedding-free’ zone. However, now with NTPC and CR keeping MMRDA at bay, the power generated will be transferred to the central grid leaving parts of MMR still reeling under load shedding,” added the official.
MMRDA had written a letter to the railway board asking whether it was possible to revive the power plant which was not being used since many years at Thakurli. The authority was also in talks with the Maharashtra State Power Generation Company (MahaGenco) for the revival of the plant. Commenting on the issue, a senior CR official said, “Railway minister Mamata Banerjee has announced setting up a gas-based power plant at Thakurli in the railway budget in February. The plant, on completion, is expected to generate 700MW of electricity. However, local MPs have opposed the project and the authorities have maintained a status quo on the issue.”
The Central Railways had been planning to revive the plant at Thakurli for some time now. The power plant, locally called as Chola power plant, was originally set up in the 1920s to generate power when the railways were first electrified. It was closed after a mishap in 1980s.
(with inputs from Rajendra Aklekar)
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