Speaking at a function organised here on Tuesday to felicitate engineers who won meritorious awards, Bhatt said although there is Plant Availability Factor with other power stations, these have to shut down as the NTPC feeds extra power in the common grids. Bhatt alleged that by doing so NTPC's Plant Load Factor (PLF) remains high compared to other power stations.

Bhatt said irrespective of the fact that exceptional performances have been achieved in 1996-97 when some other party was in power, it is important that the work has been done by engineers of the GEB, who are permanent and not like political parties.

Pramukhswami Maharaj of the Swaminarayan sect, while giving away certificates and shields to the engineers, called upon the GEB staff and masses to work with the feeling that the organisations in which they work are theirs. He emphasised the need for proper relations among employees. Calling upon the masses to shun vices, the Maharaj said it was equally important to develop one's inner self along with external development.

Lauding the efforts of the jawans fighting in Kargil, the Maharaj said just as the Pandavs defeated the Kauravas, Indian jawans would also win the battle as India is a place of saints and Indians have been blessed by them. State Energy Minister Kaushik Patel called upon the employees to continue the good work and not stop after receiving awards.

Board Member (Technical) P C Patel acknowledged the role of the private sector in power generation. He said that from an installed capacity of 315 MW when the State came into being, the Board has reached an installed capacity of 8017 MW.

Silence was observed as a mark of respect to those who laid down their lives fighting in Kargil.