During a State Cabinet meeting, chaired by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the Odisha government has approved a Rs 1,500-crore State Capital Region Improvement of Power System (SCRIPS) scheme to facilitate 24×7 quality power supply to the people in and around the state capital of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, to be implemented in five years that is from 2015-16 to 2019-20.
The project envisages renovation, modernization and expansion of the existing transmission and distribution infrastructure with an objective to ensure round-the-clock uninterrupted, reliable and stable power supply to all classes of consumers, including public services in the geographical areas covered under the Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) for the twin cities Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.
Highlights of The Scheme:
- SCRIPS aims to provide 24×7 quality power supply to the people in and around the state capital of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack urban complex.
- Odisha Power Transmission Corporation Limited (OPTCL) will be the implementing agency.
- The scheme will be implemented entirely out of state’s own finances from 2015-16 to 2019-20 and will have different components like underground cabling of important lines, smart grid and SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition).
- The project is expected to benefit over 3 million electricity consumers.
- Apart from this, the Cabinet also approved Odisha Fisheries Policy, 2015, and a 650.64km ambitious Biju Expressway to build a 4-lane economic corridor from Rourkela to Jagadalpur in Chhattisgarh and 30 other proposals.
