Amguri thermal plant to be functional by ’11

GUWAHATI, Jan 10 Industry and Commerce Minister Pradyut Bardoloi today told the Assembly that the State Government was committed to make the 750-MW Amguri thermal plant functional by 2011. prepare a DPR, agreement would be made with OIL and ONGC for supply of gas.

Citing gas linkage as a constraint, Bardoloi said that the problem should ease with the discovery of a new gas field of OIL near the site and that a gas pricing negotiating committee had been formed for ensuring that the project did not lose its cost-effectiveness following the escalation in the prices of gas.

Earlier, AGP legislator Pradip Hazarika said that the project, conceived under the Assam Accord of 1985, was languishing even after the Centre had cleared the decks due to the apathy of the State Government.