By Team Mangalorean Bangalore

BANGALORE, October 27: Karnataka government on Tuesday admitted that change of portfolio of Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh led to delay in the execution of power projects.

Mr Ramesh portfolio was changed from energy to environment after the formation of the new government in 2009 elections.

Energy Minister K. S. Eshwarappa on Tuesday said when Mr Ramesh was the Union Minister of State for Energy till recently, he had been forcing Karnataka to go ahead with the implementation of long-pending Mekedatu hydel project in the Cauvery basin.

But soon after getting the portfolio of Environment, Mr. Ramesh has taken a critical view of the Gundia power project in Hassan district though it affects 400 hectares of forest land.

Mr. Eshwarappa said during an interaction with the members of the Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Bangalore.

The Centre had written a letter to the Karnataka government opposing the Gundia project on environmental front. Mr Eshwarappa assured people of implementing power projects with least environmental damage and appealed to industrial bodies to play a pro-active role in convincing people about the need to encourage power projects in the interest of the state’s development.

He said  power shortage Karnataka has drawn up a plan for setting up four gas-based power plants with a capacity of 2,000 MW each in four districts under public-private-partnership model.

Mr. Eshwarappa said the Government will supply 24/7 power to industries provided they are ready to pay higher tariff. The government is willing to hold talks with the sugar factories with cogeneration facility in a bid to buy power at an additional cost from them for supplying to industries.

 BCIC President K. R. Girish urged the government to come out with a three-year road map with respect to policy initiatives for the state power sector and also to bring in accountability by metering all installations including the irrigation pump sets.

 Energy Department Principal Secretary K. Jairaj said these projects with a total capacity of 8,000 MW would be placed before private investors at the Global Investors’ meet to be held next year.

The gas-based power plants have been planned at Belgaum, Gadag, Davangere and Tumkur at an estimated cost of about Rs. 32,000 crore. These proposed projects would be sanctioned through bid-route to private promoters. Land required for the projects has been identified by Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board.