Guwahati, June 16: The days of free power for Assam ministers and top govt officers have now gone.

Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma today said that from coming July 1, the provision of free electricity supply to the official quarters of the Chief Minister, other ministers, senior officials and government officials shall be done away with and they will be asked to pay for the power bills.

The Chief Minister spoke about the plans of the state now gone completely solar with the Janata Bhawan, now becoming the first secretariat, which will run on green energy.

AdvertisementHe today inaugurated the Janata Bhawan Solar Project, a 2.5-MW power generation capacity grid connected rooftop and ground-mounted solar PV system, at a ceremony held at the Assam Secretariat Complex.

This project would yield an average of 3 lakh units of electricity monthly and the investment amount of Rs. 12.56 crore is projected to be recovered within a period of 4 years with monthly savings standing at approximately Rs. 30 lakhs.

“The launch of the solar power project today has led to the Assam Secretariat Complex becoming the first-ever civil secretariat in the country that relies entirely on solar generated electricity for daily consumption. With a lifespan of 25 years, this solar plant will cut down 3060 metric tonnes of carbon emissions annually and 76,500 metric tonnes of carbon emissions during its lifetime” he said.

AdvertisementSpeaking at the event, Chief Minister Dr. Sarma referred to the launch of the project as a historic moment in the State’s march towards embracing of green energy.

He said the State government had been paying around Rs. 30 lakhs to Assam Power Distribution Company Limited on a monthly basis for traditionally-produced electricity consumption.

” Transition to green energy will help the government utilise its resources for the welfare of the socially and economically disadvantaged sections of the society” he said.

The Chief Minister stressed upon the need for every government office to adopt solar power in a gradual and phased manner. In the initial phase, he called upon medical colleges and universities to make a transition to solar energy.

Advertisement

Speaking about the State government’s initiatives aimed at promotion of green energy, the Chief Minister referred to the 25-Mw Solar Power Project at Namrup the foundation stone for which was laid recently.

He also spoke about the solar projects at Bharchalla in Sonitpur district, Khudigaon in Dhubri district and the 1,000-Mw project in Karbi Anglong.

These and other projects, on completion, shall drastically reduce the State’s dependence on energy procured from outside the State, he added.

These and other initiatives have led to the Assam Power Generation Company Limited earning a profit of Rs. 60 crore this year, the Chief Minister stated.

Read: First team from Assam to participate in AIFF Futsal Championship

WATCH:

Find latest news from every corner of Northeast India at hubnetwork.in, your online source for breaking news, video coverage.

Also, Follow us on-

Twitter-twitter.com/nemediahub

Youtube channel- www.youtube.com/@NortheastMediaHub2020

Instagram- www.instagram.com/ne_media_hub