Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday met Union Minister of State for Power and Coal Piyush Goyal in New Delhi and sought Rs 15,000 crore from the Centre for various energy projects in the state. The meeting also discussed generation, transmission and distribution challenges facing the beleaguered power sector in the state. On November 8, a similar meeting between Yadav and Goyal was called off after the latter had cancelled his Lucknow visit. The proposed meeting was touted as a positive development juxtaposed to bitter exchange of words between the Centre and Uttar Pradesh through statements and letters blaming each other for the state power crisis.

Meanwhile, the CM apprised Goyal UP was working towards separate feeders for agriculture and sought Rs 7,000 crore under Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana.

Besides, Yadav sought Rs 2,000 crore for installation of power meters in rural areas. For extension of urban power distribution network under integrated power development scheme, he sought an additional Rs 6,000 crore.

He said UP was making efforts to tide over power crisis and to ensure that by October 2016, the urban and rural areas got 22-24 hrs and 16 hrs power supply.

Yadav requested to ensure adequate coal supply for ensuring thermal power plants to work at optimum capacity.

He alleged coal as per linkages was not being provided to Anpara, Obra, Harduaganj, Parichha and Panki thermal plants and thus generation was suffering.

He suggested coal should be stocked in advance at plants before monsoon so that supply was not affected. Stressing on providing power supply as per allocation made from central pool, the CM claimed this was not being done. He requested to enhance power supply to UP from Dadri power plant from 10 to 40 percent as the unit was located in UP.

Besides, Yadav urged the state be allocated new coal blocks against the cancelled coal block of Chandipada, so that adequate coal could be supplied to Harduaganj 1x660 mw, Panki 1x660 mw, Meja 2x660 mw, Stage-II Jawaharpur 2x660 mw and Obra-C 2x660 mw power generation units.

He pointed out due to non-approval of coal linkages for MoU based power generation plants, UP was facing serious challenges. As a result, the developer companies were also not able to honour their financial liabilities and projects were getting inordinately delayed.

The non availability of coal linkage was also hurting investor sentiments and adversely affecting the state's economy, he lamented.