Kolkata: The long wait of around 7,500 residents of Ghoramara Island in Sunderbans to get power supply is going to end soon.
Since it is quite difficult to ensure supply of conventional form of power owing to its geographical location, the state government has started taking steps to ensure supply of non-conventional power to the island by setting up a solar power generation unit.
Today, Bankim Chandra Hazra, MLA from Sagar Assembly constituency, asked the state Non-Conventional and Renewable Energy minister Subrata Mukherjee in the state Assembly whether his department has any plan to set up a solar power plant to ensure supply of power to Ghoramara Gram Panchayat, as supply of conventional form of power is not possible to the place.
In reply, Mukherjee said that his department will do the needful once they get a proposal in this regard. Later, Hazra submitted a proposal for the same to the officials of the state Non-Conventional and Renewable Energy department.
Mukherjee later said: "We have received a proposal and it has been given to the officials of the department for subsequent steps. All efforts will be given to ensure supply of power to the island as early as possible."
Hazra said: "The island is under the jurisdiction of Ghoramara Gram Panchayat in Kakdwip subdivision and around 7,500 people reside here. The Mamata Banerjee government has ensured power supply in each and every village including the remote ones. But, it has not become possible for Ghoramara Island for its geographical location."
"There are four primary and higher secondary schools, 5 sub-health centres and other crucial installations where there are respective arrangements to generate solar power. Setting up of a solar power unit will ensure uninterrupted power supply in every household, beside these installations," Hazra said.
It may be mentioned that steps have also been taken up to set up a 1 MW grid connected solar power plant at Gangasagar and the work for it would be completed in the 2020-21 financial year. The project is coming up at a cost of Rs 6.29 lakh.