10.02.2010: Cabinet Briefing: Pwer Generation & Infrastructure Development

Karnataka to strengthen Cow Protection Act: Karnataka Cabinet Wednesday approved the more stringent Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act. The proposed law aims to make cow slaughter a cognizable offence. Those who violate the law will have to spend one to seven years in jail or pay between Rs 25,000 and Rs 1 lakh as fine, Home Minister V S Acharya said. Karnataka has since 2006 been setting aside funds in its budget to set up cow protection centres in the state to rehabilitate cattle, Acharya said.

State to raise Chhattisgarh power plant capacity: Karnataka cabinet today decided to increase capacity of its proposed pithead thermal power project from 1,200 Mw to 1,600 Mw. The project, to be developed as two units of 800 Mw each, will use the super critical technology. Briefing reporters on the decisions taken at the cabinet meeting, here, V S Acharya, minister for home, Karnataka, said the power project will be developed by the state-owned Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) in a 50:50 joint venture with Larsen & Toubro Ltd. Power will flow 48 months from the date of commencement of work. About 80 per cent of the power is expected to be supplied to the state grid, he said.

“By using the same amount of coal we can produce 1,600 Mw power using the super critical technology. There will not be much rise in the cost of the project with the increase in its capacity,” Acharya said. The cost of the project is likely to be in the order of Rs 6,000 crore.

The land acquisition for the project is in its final stages and the power purchase agreement will be signed after that, Acharya said adding that the government would approach the Centre to accord a ultra mega power project (UMPP) status to the project. UMPP status is normally given to projects with capacities of over 1,500 Mw.

The plant will come up in the northern part of Chhattisgarh, where the state-owned coal producer South Eastern Coalfields Ltd has its mines. The first unit of the plant will be commissioned by October 2012. This is the first project being taken by the KPCL, outside Karnataka.Under the pact, the Chhattisgarh government has ensured early allocation of coal linkage for KPCL under the state’s industrial policy.

In a major decision, the state cabinet has approved a proposal to increase capacity of the Udupi power project from the present 1,015 Mw to 1,200 Mw. Udupi Power Company is setting up the thermal power project at Nandikur, about 35 km from Mangalore. The first unit of 600 Mw is likely to go onstream in April this year, he said.

Acharya said the cabinet has decided to handover the development of Shimoga and Gulbarga airports to Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS). The project was earlier given to Maytas Infra, a Satyam group company. The government would give a guarantee for a period of 10 years, he said.

To facilitate the expansion of the Belgaum airport, the government has decided to transfer 370 acres to the Airports Authority of India and provide free power and security for five years to manage the airport, he said.

Among other major decisions, the cabinet has approved the new semiconductor policy which was introduced a few days ago. It has decided to permit the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) to raise Rs 250 crore to take up several infrastructure development projects for the city. Presently, the BBMP is executing projects of over Rs 2,200 crore.

The budget session will be held for a month, starting February 25. On the first day, governor H R Bharadwaj will address the joint session of the assembly. From February 26 to 28 the assembly will have a holiday on account of Union Budget and it will be reconvened on March 1. The chief minister B S Yeddyurappa, who also holds the finance portfolio, will present the state budget on March 5 for the year 2010-11. (Indian Express/Business Standard)

No cow slaughter ban: BJP flays Congress, JDS

BANGALORE: The BJP government in Karnataka today slammed the Congress and JDS for its opposition to the proposed legislation on banning cow slaughter in the state and termed it as "politically motivated".

"The opposition by Congress and JDS which once had cow and calf and bullocks as their party symbol is nothing but vote bank politics", Karnataka Home Minister Dr V S Acharya told reporters here.

Apparently targetting JDS chief H D Deve Gowda, who threatened to agitate if the government went ahead with the enactment of the legislation, Acharya said his "true colours" have been exposed now". Gowda should have taken a lead role in saving the cows from being butchered, he said.

Defending the government's decision to bring in a law to ban cow slaughter, he said the legislation was well within the provisions of the Constitution and on the model of Jammu and Kashmir act, which has stood the test of legal scrutiny.

On JDS's protests against Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise promoted Bangalore-Mysore Expressway, Acharya said there was a "conspiracy" by the party which initiated it, apparently pointing his fingers at the then Janata Dal government which signed the MoU and also finalised the Framework agreement in 1997.

He said the government has not allotted any land to any one from its land bank and criticised Gowda's move to oppose creation of land bank for industrial development.