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ShareMumbai: Non-conventional energy minister Vinay Kore said on Saturday that the state is formulating an act to limit the misuse of energy in Maharashtra. He was speaking at the fifth state level energy conservation awards ceremony organised by the Maharashtra Energy Development Agency (Meda).
"If there is a delay in framing the law by the Central Electricity Authority that comes under the ministry of power, the state has already started the process of framing the law for energy conservation," Kore said.
The methods of energy consumption and non-conventional energy sources would be included in the school curriculum to sensitise the students. "We are also contemplating on the new regulations vis-a-vis the construction of buildings. Henceforth, we may give permission only to green buildings. We are also thinking of giving sales tax benefits to the industries that follow green norms," he said.
Due to the escalating energy demands in the state, the government is also considering tapping the tidal wave energy and geo-thermal energy, he said.
"There was a time when the state was self-reliant in energy generation. However, gradually there has been a huge difference between demand and supply. Cement industries are the highest energy consumer while malls are posing as a challenging threat," Kore said.
Governor SC Jamir, who was the chief guest, said, "We are satisfying our energy needs by polluting the atmosphere which is unacceptable and dangerous for the future generation. We have to set new paradigms for energy demand in the future by reducing the difference between demand and supply."
"I urge the political parties not to give assurances of giving free power to any sector as it will create problems. We should start taking measures to reduce the energy consumption," Jamir said. To decrease fuel consumption, car pooling could be a viable option which has been successfully implemented in Singapore. It also reduces traffic congestion on the roads, he added.
Meda promotes energy conservation in 11 different sectors. As a policy initiative for creating awareness and promoting the concept of energy conservation, Meda has instituted state-level energy conservation awards.
