Talking to media persons here, Mr. Sampat Singh said the government had been making claims that Haryana was producing 4000 MW of power and its need was 9000 MW.

He termed the claims as false and said the fact was that the generation capacity of the state was 4000 MW and precisely this was the demand at the moment. But the generation units were working at 75 per cent capacity only resulting in a shortage of 1000 MW of power.

He said that as far as the need of 9000 MW of power in the state was concerned, it was for the next five-year plan due in 2012.

He said the state government had announced the setting up of five gas-based power plants of 1000 MW capacity each at Panipat, Hisar and Faridabad and two at Jhajjar.

He said that he had warned at the very onset that these would not be feasible as Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) had already expressed its inability to provide any gas till 2009. He said Abbon Llyod, which was to construct these projects, was yet to start work on these projects.

Mr. Sampat Singh produced before the media persons, the minutes of a Cabinet meeting held on May 3, 2006, during which the state government decided to purchase power through negotiation from a single party, Lanco Group of Industries, based at Hyderabad.

He said the Cabinet had itself mentioned in the minutes of the meeting that the fate of the proposed gas-based power projects in the state was very uncertain due to non-availability of gas. The Cabinet also mentioned in the minutes that nuclear-based power project at Kumharian in Fatehabad district was not likely to be completed before 2015.

He alleged that the Cabinet decided to enter into an MoU with the company for purchase of power on long-term basis by negotiations though it should have invited tenders for the purpose.

He said the overall power scenario in the state was very bleak but the government was trying to befool the people by claiming that it would be able to produce 9000 MW of power in five years.

He said that not only there was an acute scarcity of power in the state, even the infrastructure of power was not up to the mark. There was shortage of electric poles and other equipment.

Terming the state government as total failure, the INLD leader said the government had not been able to provide Deputy Commissioners in all districts. He said that posts of DCs remained vacant in two districts for more than six months and another district remained without an SP for two months.