New Delhi: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee will soon convene a meeting of Chief Ministers and energy ministers to speed up power sector reforms in states as part of the efforts to meet the target of 'electricity for all' by 2012.

"We met Vajpayee yesterday and requested him to convene a meeting as a follow-up of the last meeting in March 2001. He has given his consent and date will be finalised soon," Power Minister Anant Geete said.

There were certain gaps in the implementation of decisions taken at the last meeting of Chief Ministers and energy ministers in 2001, especially at the level of states and state electricity boards (SEBs), Geete said on the sidelines of a seminar on power distribution organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Geete also requested Vajpayee to grant the status of 'mega power project' to over 1,000 MW projects in thermal sector and 500 MW in hydro sector.

"This will help in procuring necessary concessions with regard to taxes and duties," Geete said, adding this was necessary for bringing in the required growth in the power sector.

About the proposed meeting with the Chief Ministers Geete said the emphasis would be on steps like operationalising the regulatory commissions, ways to reduce transmission and distribution losses and unbundling of SEBs to achieve efficiency.

Transmission and distribution losses range between 40 to 50 per cent in various states and the Centre has directed all states for strict metering of power supplied to all consumers.

PTI