Power generation costs in Haryana has gone up by over 300 per cent in the last 36 years. Power Minister Capt Ajay Singh Yadav said this in the Vidhan Sabha’s budget session on Monday.

While replying to a query put up by INLD leader Jarnail Singh during Question Hour, Yadav said: “While the cost of power generation in 1976-77 was 16.39 crore, it rose to Rs 5,061 crore in 2010-11. Around Rs 3292.89 crore have already been spent in 2011-12 (till September 30, 2011) on power generation in the state.”

The Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure approved the implementation four-laning of Yamunanaga-Panchkula section on National Highway-73 in Haryana, on Thursday. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has already floated an e-tender for the four-laning of the 104 kilometer NH from Yamunanaga to Panchkula. With the approval of the Cabinet Committee, the work on the project is likely to start soon.

With four thermal units of 1,610 MW capacity units down, unscheduled power cuts have become the order of the day. Sources in the Haryana Power Generation Corporation (HPGCL) said two 600 MW units at Khedar thermal plant and one unit each at Yamunanagar and Panipat thermal stations stopped generation affecting the overall pwer situation in the state. HPGCL is withdrawing about 500 MW from the Northern Grid, but is still not able to meet the demand.

Area-specific incentives in the renewable energy sector are critical, and the country needs to focus on policy regulation, technology advancement and financial options coupled with innovation for the development of this sector.

This was the consensus among participants at the conference on renewable energy organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) at its northern headquarters in Chandigarh today.

Speaking on the occasion, Haryana Principal Secretary Renewable Energy Vijay Vardhan said that India struggles to produce even one-third of its petroleum consumption.

The Haryana government has decided to auction minor mineral quarries in the state and grant short term permit for the same for a period up to December 31.

Auction for minor mineral boulder, gravel and sand quarries in Panchkula, Ambala and Yamuna Nagar districts will be conducted in the office of the Panchkula assistant geologist on August 18. Minor mineral sand quarries of Kurukshetra, Karnal, Faridabad and Palwal districts will be put to auction in the office of the Faridabad assistant mining engineer the same day.

Several villages in Yamunanagar district have been flooded following several breaches in the bundh of Som river due to a downpour during the past two days.

Deputy Commissioner Ashok Sangwan reviewed the situation at a meeting.

The Haryana Government has decided to give financial assistance of `12,000 per acre to those flood-hit farmers, who have suffered substantial loss of land due to landslides and change of course of rivers during floods in 2010.

Announcing this here today, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said out of this financial assistance, `6,000 per acre would be provided from the calamity relief fund.

Chandigarh Haryana Power Generation Corporation (HPGCL) plans to venture into solar power generation by setting up solar energy-based power plant at Bhud Kalan in district Yamunanagar. The corporation's board of directors has already approved the setting up of the power plant and the modalities are being worked out.