No Govt undertaking will be closed down, assures Mane

NAGPUR, Dec 23: The Maharashtra Government today assured the Legislative Council that not a single State Government undertaking, including ...

NAGPUR, Dec 23: The Maharashtra Government today assured the Legislative Council that not a single State Government undertaking, including the loss-making units, would be closed down.

Responding to a question, raised by Vidya Belosa (Congress) and others during the question hour in the Legislative Council here on Tuesday, the Minister of State for Finance, Ravindra Mane, informed that there were as many as 16 state undertakings making profits, while 21 were incurring losses, and one just breaking even.

He said that the loss-making units, including the Nagpur-based Development Corporation of Vidarbha Limited (DCVL) and State Mining Corporation had accumulated huge losses. It was decided to restructure these units, Mane said, for which an advisory committee, headed by V G Rajadakshya, had been appointed to give suggestions, prescribe measures and recommendations to neutralise losses.

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The Government sought an opinion from the Director General of Police (DGP) regarding the alleged beating of anti-Enron activists, led by noted social worker and environmentalist, Medha Patkar, during an agitation at Konphata, Mahad and Mangaon in Raigarh district in May last in view of a National Human Rights Commission’s notice.

Replying to a question, the Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde, who also holds the Home portfolio, however, said that the indictment of the NHRC of state police over the issue was biased. "The DGP has been asked to give his opinion on it and once it is received, appropriate action will be taken,"he informed.

The Deputy CM told the Council that the State Electricity Board (MSEB) would purchase power from the Bhadrawati thermal power station of the Ispat group company, now renamed as Central India Power Company (CIPC). Also, finishing touches were being given to the coal back up agreement between the MSEB and the captive coal mines of the company for supplying coal, he added.

Munde, who holds the energy portfolio, said the State had sent the agreement signed between MSEB and the CIPC to the Centre for approval. The Central Government had agreed to most of the points, he said, and added that negotiations were still on.

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On the issue of power, in a written reply to Anil Gondane and others, Munde said global tenders were invited for setting up power stations of 150 to 180 MW in Chincholi Kate (Solapur), Kagal (Kolhapur), Mahad (Raigarh), Sinner (Nashik), Walunj (Aurangabad) and of 100 MW to 150 MW at Ranjangaon (Pune) and Wai (Satara). Munde said a total of 56 tenders had been received and the MSEB was scrutinising them.

Munde ruled out partial privatisation of transmission of power supplied by the MSEB. In a written reply he said the subject was complicated and could lead to many repercussions. The issue was under active consideration, Munde admitted. Intervening in a debate on the issue of the attack on the office of Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamna here on December 18 last, Munde asserted that the those who are involved in attacks on scribes and newspapers would not be spared. Answering a question, Minister of State for Home, Gajanan Kirtikar said a committee comprising officials and scribes headed by the Chief Secretary had been reconstituted, and it has asked all police commissioners and superintendents to send details of attack on scribe.