|
|
Enron Mail |
Stinson/Vince,
Some news articles. Do read the first one, and the second last one. Regards, Sandeep. ---------------------- Forwarded by Sandeep Kohli/ENRON_DEVELOPMENT on=20 05/07/2001 09:10 AM --------------------------- Nikita Varma 05/07/2001 07:42 AM To: Nikita Varma/ENRON_DEVELOPMENT@ENRON_DEVELOPMENT cc: (bcc: Sandeep Kohli/ENRON_DEVELOPMENT) Subject: From The Enron India Newsdesk - May 5-7 newsclips THE ECONOMIC TIMES, MAY 7, 2001 http://www.economictimes.com/today/bn04.htm Enron CEO casts vote to save DPC, Tina Edwin & Soma Banerjee=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------- THE ECONOMIC TIMES, MAY 7, 2001 http://www.economictimes.com/today/07econ10.htm Maha sore over delay in naming Godbole nominee=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------- THE TIMES OF INDIA, 7 May, 2001 http://www.timesofindia.com/today/07busi3.htm Maharashtra 'unhappy' with delay in naming Godbole nominee=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------- BUSINESS STANDARD, Monday, 7 May 2001 http://www.business-standard.com/archives/2001/may/50050501.015.asp Reliance allowed to hawk power from Patalganga to third parties=20 Arijit De, S Ravindran & Renni Abraham in Mumbai ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------- THE ECONOMIC TIMES, MAY 7, 2001 http://www.economictimes.com/today/07econ11.htm No need of Patalganga, Bhadravati power: MSEB=20 Also appeared in the following newspaper: THE TIMES OF INDIA, MAY 7, 2001 'No need of Patalganga, Bhadravati power'=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------- BUSINESS STANDARD, MAY 7, 2001 http://www.business-standard.com/today/finance9.asp?Menu=3D5 Global bankers ask govt to honour DPC obligations=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------- BUSINESS STANDARD Saturday, 5 May, 2001,=20 http://www.business-standard.com/archives/2001/may/50050501.017.asp GE may pull out as DPC supplier , S Ravindran in Mumbai ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------- HINDU BUSINESSLINE, May 5, 2001 Agenda for fresh talks with Enron chalked out=20 http://www.indiaserver.com/businessline/2001/05/06/stories/14065607.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------- THE ECONOMIC TIMES, May 6, 2001 http://216.34.146.167:8000/servlet/Form Godbole panel meets sans Dabhol representation=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------- THE ECONOMIC TIMES, May 5, 2001 http://216.34.146.167:8000/servlet/Form NTPC not to buy power from Enron: Govt ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------- THE TIMES OF INDIA, May 7, 2001 http://www.timesofindia.com/today/07busi11.htm MSEB recovers Rs 3.06 cr arrears in one day=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------- THE ECONOMIC TIMES, MAY 7, 2001 Enron CEO casts vote to save DPC, Tina Edwin & Soma Banerjee=20 =20 AMUL'S creative directors may have gone back to ad-libbing 'Enron or=20 Enr-off', but for the big kahuna at the American utility, Dabhol is still a= =20 worthwhile project. While the entire Enron board had almost decided to call= =20 it quits and proceed with the termination of the $2.9-billion power projec= t=20 at Dabhol, the veto exercised by the company chairman Kenneth Lay has save= d=20 the project =01*- at least for the timebeing. Sources said the meeting held= on=20 Tuesday at the energy major's headquarters in Houston could have sounded th= e=20 death knell for the only big foreign investment in the Indian power sector.= =20 Although the future of the project is still pretty uncertain with the lende= rs=20 unwilling to continue disbursements unless payment obligations are not=20 honoured and contractual obligations left unfulfilled, the veto exercised a= t=20 this juncture by the chairman of the parent company has come as a big boost= =20 to the Indian venture. Company sources said: "We do not know what went on = =20 there but it is true that as of now we are not pulling out." With the=20 engineering procurement and construction contractors GE and equipment=20 suppliers Bechtel too in a cautious mode mode, DPC was finding it even mor= e=20 difficult to continue the construction of the project as per the schedules.= =20 Sources said the stand taken by the rest of the directors on the board woul= d=20 be in view of the backlash that the company would have to face from its=20 shareholders if the project actually flopped.Enron had similar bitter=20 experiences in Pakistan and it was difficult for the parent company to then= =20 justify such investments to the shareholders.=20 Enron, which had planned a major investments in India's infrastructure=20 sectors such as oil and gas, LNG, gas transportation, telecom and broadband= =20 network, has already pulled out most of their personnel from some of these= =20 operations. The company's MoUs with various other majors like Indian Oil=20 Corporation, too, is in a limbo and the US major's stake in the oil and gas= =20 venture is up for grabs. However, even though Lay is still hoping to find a= =20 solution to the controversy back home, both DPC and MSEB are still to get= =20 down to negotiations. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------- THE ECONOMIC TIMES, MAY 7, 2001 Maha sore over delay in naming Godbole nominee=20 THE MAHARASHTRA government has expressed 'unhappiness' over the Centre's=20 delay in appointing its nominee on the nine-member Godbole Committee to =20 renegotiate the power purchase agreement signed between Enron-promoted=20 Dabhol Power Company and state electricity board. "The committee, which i= s=20 to hold discussions with Enron officials from Houston on May 11, has only = a=20 month's time for renegotiations and with DPC's termination notice threat = =20 hanging on our head, time is actually running out. Yet there is no officia= l=20 to represent the Union government," said a senior state government officia= l.=20 "There are media reports that the solicitor-general Harish Salve would be= =20 appointed, but we are yet to hear anything from their side," he said.=20 The official said the state expected Centre to announce its representative= =20 before May 11, as it would appreciate his crucial presence in the first=20 session of discussions with Enron officials, lenders and gas suppliers.=20 Sources in the mantralaya added the government had also been unhappy over= =20 the Centre's "rigid stand" on not allowing State-owned National Thermal Pow= er=20 Corporation to buy the excess capacity of DPC's total 2,184-mw project.= =20 "Let NTPC and Power Trading Corporation of India come together and sell DPC= 's=20 surlpus power. We have already mooted this suggestion, but a favourable rep= ly=20 is yet to come from the union power ministry," the official said.=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------- THE TIMES OF INDIA, 7 May, 2001 Maharashtra 'unhappy' with delay in naming Godbole nominee=20 The Maharashtra government has expressed 'unhappiness' over the Centre's= =20 delay in appointing its nominee on the nine-member Godbole committee to= =20 renegotiate the power purchase agreement (PPA) signed between Enron promote= d=20 Dabhol Power Company (DPC) and the Maharashtra State Electricity Board =20 (MSEB). "The committee, which is to hold discussions with Enron officials= =20 from Houston on May 11, has only a month's time for renegotiations and wit= h=20 DPC's termination notice threat hanging on our head, time is actually runni= ng=20 out. Yet there is no official to represent the Union government," a senior= =20 state government official said here on Sunday. "There are media reports tha= t=20 solicitor general Harish Salve would be appointed, but we are yet to hear= =20 anything from their side," he said.=20 The official said that the state expected the Centre to announce their=20 representative before May 11, as it would appreciate his crucial presence i= n=20 the first session of discussions with Enron officials, lenders and gas=20 suppliers. Sources in the Mantralaya added that the government had also bee= n=20 unhappy over the Centre's rigid stand on not allowing state-owned National= =20 Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to buy the excess capacity of DPC's total= =20 2,184 mw project. "Let NTPC and Power Trading Corporation of India (PTC) co= me=20 together and sell DPC's surlpus power. We have already mooted this=20 suggestion, but a favourable reply is yet to come from the Union power=20 ministry," the official said. The official said that the Centre, which was= =20 also responsible for DPC project as it has provided counter guarantee to=20 Enron India, should form a special purpose vehicle for sale of the excess= =20 power to other states. The state government's reaction comes in wake of Uni= on=20 power minister Suresh Prabhu's discussion with Chief Minister Vilasrao=20 Deshmukh in Delhi few days ago. It was learnt that Prabhu told Deshmukh=20 "there is no question of NTPC buying power from the project since long term= =20 PPAs have been signed by NTPC with the buying states".=20 Deshmukh had suggested that the Central power utility should sell excess=20 power over and above the 300-400 mw needed for the state from the DPC's 740= =20 mw phase-I and soon to be commissioned phase-II of 1,444 mw, to other nee= dy=20 states. Considering the high cost of power generated from DPC, which duri= ng=20 the recent months has hovered around Rs 7 per unit as against an average co= st=20 of Rs 2.30-2.80 a unit from Central and state utilities, there would be fe= w=20 takers for the power from Dabhol, the power minister reportedly said.=20 "Deficit states will buy DPC power only when the cost of power is brought= =20 down," he said, adding power ministry would facilitate wheelng of this pow= er=20 to the buyers. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------- BUSINESS STANDARD, Monday, 7 May 2001 Reliance allowed to hawk power from Patalganga to third parties=20 Arijit De, S Ravindran & Renni Abraham in Mumbai In an unusual departure from normal practice, the Maharashtra government h= as=20 allowed the Reliance group to sell power generated by its 447-mw Patalgan= ga=20 power project directly to third parties if the Maharashtra State=20 Electricity Board (MSEB) does not lift power. The project=01,s power purch= ase=20 agreement (PPA) has a clause to this effect. The state government=01,s=20 permission to Reliance to hawk power to third parties has to be seen in th= e=20 context of its dithering on forwarding to the Centre the Dabhol Power=20 Company=01,s bid for mega power status so that it could sell power to thir= d=20 parties.=20 DPC sources told Business Standard several weeks ago that the company=01,s= =20 application had been pending with the Chief Minister=01,s office for months= .=20 Only now has the state government authorised the Godbole committee to=20 negotiate with DPC on third party sales outside the state. The DPC project= =20 is facing the threat of closure following MSEB=01,s inability to buy power= from=20 it, thanks to the Board=01,s weak financial position. Not only can the=20 Reliance group sell power to third parties within Maharashtra, but it can= =20 sell power to utilities outside the state. The PPA does not expressly bar = it=20 from doing so. Nor does it specify the category of customers to whom power= =20 can be sold. So, in effect, this suggests that the group could sell power t= o =20 industrial and commercial customers in Maharashtra and emerge as a rival t= o=20 the MSEB.The state electricity board derives over 80 per cent of its reven= ue=20 from such consumers.=20 Apart from captive power plants, independent power producers in India are= =20 allowed to sell power only to state electricity boards. They can sell powe= r =20 outside the state only if they qualify for mega power project status. With= =20 its 447-mw capacity, the Patalganga project is not eligible for such status= =20 because mega power rojects are supposed to have a minimum capacity of 1,0= 00=20 mw. Speaking on the sidelines of a press conference last week, Reliance=20 Industries managing director Anil Ambani told Business Standard: A provisi= on=20 in third parties. Ambani was answering a question on whether the MSEB=01,s = weak=20 financials and inability to offer escrow cover to the project as emphasised= =20 in the Godbole committee report set up to defuse the Dabhol crisis would=20 derail the Patalganga project.=20 The PPA does not have any express restriction as to third party sale outsid= e=20 the state, a Reliance spokesperson confirmed on Friday in a faxed response= =20 to questions. A senior MSEB official explained that the state government= =20 cleared private power projects some years ago on the basis of the=20 unrealistically high demand projections contained in a report by a former= =20 MSEB official. Subsequently, it was realised that the state would be stuck= =20 with excess power. So the Reliance group was permitted to sell power to thi= rd=20 parties, he said. The Patalganga project along with the Ispat group=01,s 1,= 082=20 mw Bhadravati project has been put on hold till the Godbole committee submi= ts=20 its second=20 report. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------- THE ECONOMIC TIMES, MAY 7, 2001 No need of Patalganga, Bhadravati power: MSEB=20 THE AXE seems to have finally fallen on the much-delayed Reliance=20 Industries-promoted Patalganga and Ispat Industries' Bhadravati Power=20 projects in Maharashtra as the state electricity board has firmly told the= =20 government that "there is no need of these projects nor their power". The= =20 loss-making board has communicated to the government that MSEB had "no=20 interest" in Patalganga and Bhadravati, as it did not have escrow-able=20 capacity and also that industrial demand for power had slowed down =20 tremendously in Maharashtra, state government sources said here on Sunday.= =20 "In last November itself, MSEB had sent an official intimation to the state= =20 government informing its decision in favour of cancellation of the two=20 projects on several grounds -- including they being unviable and=20 unaffordable," sources said. "Reliance's project is no different from that = of=20 DPC's. Patalganga is also naphtha-based and its PPA is on similar lines...= =20 After the Enron experience, MSEB cannot even dream of another gas-based=20 power plant in the state," a senior MSEB official said. He said MSEB has=20 already asked the state government not to provide escrow to both the 447-m= w=20 Patalganga and the 1,084-mw coal-based Bhadravati, "as the US energy major= =20 has almost squeezed us of all over finances". When contacted, MSEB chairman= =20 Vinay Bansal said: "Reliance and Ispat projects have been put on hold as pe= r =20 the Godbole Committee's recommendations", but expressed inability to give= =20 further details.=20 Currently, Bhadravati and Patalganga projects have been put on hold as per= =20 Godbole Committee report, which was set up to review the DPC-MSEB PPA and= =20 energy scenario in Maharashtra. "Can you go ahead with the project without = an=20 escrow cover?" the committee was believed to have asked Ispat and Reliance= =20 representatives, to which the reply had been negative, sources added.=20 Sources said, as of now, both the projects have not been able to achieve=20 financial closure as leading financial institutions were not willing to= =20 fund the projects which do not have a "guaranteed payment" mechanism from= =20 MSEB, which, incidentally it has promised to DPC. "All the three were clear= ed=20 as 'fast-track' projects, but other than Enron, Reliance and Ispat have bee= n=20 caught in a quagmire, especially Bhadravati, which has been hanging afire= =20 since last nine years," they added.=20 Moreover, the MSEB official opined that given the current situation, if DPC= =20 calls it quits from India, Bhadravati was a safer bet than Reliance's=20 Patalganga. Patalganga's power would be mere 50 paise less than that of DPC= 's=20 that ranges anywhere around approximately Rs 4.50 per unit to as high as R= s=20 7, while Bhadravati's cost could be around Rs 3.80 to Rs 4 per unit, he=20 informed. MSEB's installed capacity ended on March 31, 2001, was14,000 mw a= nd=20 it has generated 45,000 million units with transmission and distribution=20 losses as high as 39 per cent. (PTI) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------- BUSINESS STANDARD, MAY 7, 2001 Global bankers ask govt to honour DPC obligations=20 Tamal Bandyopadhyay, Surajeet Dasgupta& Santosh Tiwary in Mumbai/NewDelhi= =20 Global arrangers for the Dabhol Power Company have mounted fresh pressure o= n=20 the finance ministry to honour the Union government=01,s counter-guarante= e and=20 have also set strict conditions for reconsidering the termination of the= =20 power purchase agreement (PPA) between the DPC and the Maharashtra State=20 Electricity Board (MSEB). In a related development, the DPC has sent a not= e=20 to all lenders saying they would have to bear the consequences of the tur= n=20 of events as they have prevented the DPC from serving the PPA termination= =20 notice last month.=20 The lenders. in their turn, sent a statement -- prepared by the New=20 York-based legal firm White & Case -- defending their stance saying they a= re=20 working in the best interest of the project. The lenders are expected to= =20 meet in London over the next fortnight to take stock of the situation.The= =20 deadline for resolving the issues are drawing to a close as 10 days of the= =20 three-week reprieve have passed. At the DPC board meeting in London on May= =20 25, the lenders had managed to stall the issuance of the termination=20 notice and got three weeks=01, time for themselves to convince the Centre a= s =20 well as the Maharashtra government to resolve the impasse on the=20 controversial project. In a letter to finance secretary Ajit Kumar dated=20 April 30, the global arrangers said the government must own up its=20 responsibility and meet its obligations without further delay. Among the= =20 stiff conditions, set by the arrangers, are the demand that the central=20 government ensure payment of all the pending bills of MSEB for December= =20 2000, January 2001, February 2001 and March 2001 which remain unpaid =20 without any protest or reservation by May 7 (Monday).=20 Any payment previously made under =01&protest=018 should be made free and c= lear of=20 such protest or any other reservation, and the Center should ensure time= ly=20 payment of future bills by MSEB, they said. Meanwhile, sources said that t= he=20 finance secretary was expected to meet the international lenders to the=20 Dabhol projects in London stand on the issue. The lenders=01, list of deman= ds=20 also include asking MSEB to take steps required under the existing =20 contracts to activate the escrow arrangements put in place at the time of= =20 financial close of Phase II of the Project by May 7.=20 They have demanded that the Union government and the Maharashtra government= =20 should take all required actions to ensure that no government agency will= =20 take any step to impede the operation of Phase I or the construction and= =20 operation of Phase II without due cause. The lenders have also asked them = to=20 ensure that the relevant customs authorities permit import of all goods and= =20 equipment required for the Project by May 21. CSFB, ANZ Export Finance,=20 Citi, Bank Of America and ABN Amro are the global arrangers for both phase = I=20 as well as phase II of the project.=20 The State Bank of India, which is also a global arranger for phase II, did= =20 not sign the letter. "Ten days have passed since the lenders bought three= =20 weeks time from the company delaying its declaration of the termination of= =20 the PPA. Since then, nothing has moved at the material level barring MSEB's= =20 payment of the January bill to the tune of Rs 134 crore under protest," sai= d=20 a source among the global arrangers. come forward to meet its obligations= =20 The lenders are planning to meet around mid-May in London and this time= =20 they will be left with no choice but to give the go-ahead to the company to= =20 terminate the PPA unless the finance ministry comes forward to settle the= =20 issue, the source added. The lenders are, however, not ready to take the = =20 blame for any delay in the termination of PPA as implied by the company. Th= e=20 White & Case statement said the lenders are concerned about the fate of th= e=20 project and they are exploring all intermediate steps before choosing the= =20 last option -- termination of PPA.=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------- BUSINESS STANDARD, Saturday, 5 May, 2001 GE may pull out as DPC supplier , S Ravindran in Mumbai After US-based Bechtel, it is now the turn of General Electric to review it= s=20 participation as equipment supplier to the controversial 2,184-mw power=20 project in Maharashtra, being set up by the Dabhol Power Company.Bechtel is= =20 the EPC contractor to the project while GE has supplied the equipment,=20 primarily turbines.General Electric, like Bechtel, also holds 10 per cent i= n=20 Dabhol Power Company (DPC). And both Bechtel and General Electric are worri= ed=20 about future payments from DPC. Sources familiar with the project said that= =20 so far DPC has not defaulted in its payments to General Electric. What is= =20 worrying General Electric is the possible scenario after June 7, when about= =20 700 mw power will be commissioned after the second phase trial runs. DPC and the Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) have been locked in= a=20 payments dispute for months. If MSEB continues with its stance, DPC in turn= =20 may not be able to pay General Electric. In such a situation, GE may walk o= ut=20 of the project. A final decision will be taken only in June, said sources.= =20 General Electric did not respond to a faxed questionnaire sent by Business= =20 Standard. Senior executives at its public relations agency Burson =20 Marsteller Roger Pereira said that only DPC executives were authorised to= =20 speak on the issue. The DPC spokesman declined to comment on the issue. The first phase of the 740 mw has already been commissioned. After the seco= nd=20 phase of 1,444 mwis commissioned by December, 2001, MSEB will have to pay= =20 DPC a minimum of Rs 500 crore per month. The escrow account for this was to= =20 have been made operational by April 7, 2001. MSEB has refused to do this.= =20 Earlier, DPC had invoked the political force majeure clause in its contract= =20 with the board. MSEB is now arguing that the invocation of this clause has= =20 absolved DPC of all its liabilities.=20 Consequently, it will not operationalise the escrow account. This casts a= =20 further shadow over DPC=01,s ability to pay General Electric and Bechtel. T= his=20 is worrying the lenders to the project as well. The situation has taken a= =20 turn for the worse with DPC practically refusing to re-negotiate the contra= ct=20 for the second phase with the Godbole panel constituted by the Maharashtra= =20 government.=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------- HINDU BUSINESSLINE, May 5, 2001 Agenda for fresh talks with Enron chalked out=20 OFFICIALS of the State Government, Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSE= B)=20 and members of the Madhav Godbole committee, which recently submitted its= =20 review on the Dabhol Power project, met here on Saturday. The meeting was t= o=20 ``chart the agenda for renegotiation with Enron officials,'' a senior MSEB= =20 official said. Enron officials were scheduled to attend this meeting but=20 backed out on May 3. Enron had informed the State Government that it would= =20 not accept the recommendations of the Godbole committe= e.=20 `It is understandable that the company does not find the recommendations=20 acceptable. But the report is not bound to personal opinions,'' the officia= l=20 said. The next meeting to decide the direction of renegotiation process wit= h=20 Enron is scheduled on May 11. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------- THE ECONOMIC TIMES, May 6, 2001 Godbole panel meets sans Dabhol representation=20 THE GODBOLE Committee, set up for renegotiating the estranged power purchas= e=20 agreement between US energy major Enron-promoted Dabhol Power Company and t= he=20 state electricity board on Saturday held its first internal meeting sans=20 representatives of the multinational. "It was an internal meeting to take= =20 stock of the current situation and decide on matter pertaining to the May 1= 1=20 meet with officials of Enron, GE, Bechtel and DPC's foreign lenders," said= =20 state government sources. The meeting, which lasted for almost four hours,= =20 discussed a strategy to present the committee's recommendations made public= =20 last month, they said.=20 Of the nine members of the committee, Saturday's meeting was attended by fi= ve=20 members -- including Godbole, MSEB chairman Vinay Bansal, state energy=20 secretary V M Lal, state finance secretary Sudhir Shrivastava and Kirit=20 Parekh of Indira Gandhi Institute of Developmental Research. Those absent= =20 were HDFC chairman Deepak Parekh, Teri director R K Pachauri, former union= =20 energy secretary EAS Sarma and yet-to-be-appointed representatives of the= =20 Centre and Central Electricity Authority. The negotiating committee would= =20 suggest solutions to bring down the exorbitant power tariff, separating of= =20 the liquefied natural gas facility, restructuring of DPC and allowing sale = of=20 excess power through central utilities mainly the National Thermal Power=20 Corporation, said sources. (PTI ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------- THE ECONOMIC TIMES, May 5, 2001 NTPC not to buy power from Enron: Govt THE CENTRE has ruled out the possibility of National Thermal Power=20 Corporation buying power generated by US energy giant Enron-promoted Dabhol= =20 Power Company. Union power minister Suresh Prabhu is learnt to have stated= =20 this during the meeting with Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh= =20 last month, convened by the finance minister Yashwant Sinha to discuss the= =20 Enron crisis, said government sources on Friday.=20 Prabhu had pointed out that "there is no question of NTPC buying power from= =20 the project since long-term power purchase agreements have been signed by= =20 NTPC with the buying states". Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh= =20 during the meeting suggested that the central power utility sell the excess= =20 power over and above the 300-400 mw needed for the state from the 740 mw=20 phase-I and soon-to-be-commissioned phase-II of 1,444-mw, to other needy=20 states. When contacted, Prabhu said the entire controversy over payment=20 default by Maharashtra State Electricity Board owing to high cost of power= =20 generated by DPC had to be resolved between the state government, and DPC a= nd=20 Centre had very limited role to play. DPC has already slapped one=20 conciliation notice on the Centre and three arbitration notices on the stat= e=20 government over non-payment of dues amounting to Rs 213-crore-plus interest= =20 rate towards bills due for the months of December 2000 and January 2001. (P= TI) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------= --- ---------------------------------- THE TIMES OF INDIA, May 7, 2001 MSEB recovers Rs 3.06 cr arrears in one day=20 In a special day-long drive, Nagpur rural zone of Maharashtra State=20 Electricity Board (MSEB) has recovered Rs 3.06 crore as arrears from the=20 defaulters who had to pay a handsome dividend, and disconnected15,000=20 connections of erring customers last week. According to MSEB sources, under= =20 the drive, initiated by chief engineer Manohar Bapat, with the assistance o= f=20 about 5,000 employees including engineers, accounts staff and linesmen, a= =20 door-to-door campaign was launched to meet 25,000 customers, leading to the= =20 recovery of the dues. Power supply to 15,000 customers were disconnected on= =20 the spot due to non-payment of arrears in Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Wardha,= =20 Bhandara, Gondia and Nagpur districts, it said in a release. The drive met= =20 with stiff resistence from public and the police were called in at many=20 places to assist the powermen, it added.=20
|