Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, who was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, told reporters that the government has delegated full powers to the MPCB to carry out probe and submit its report in this regard.

The chief minister said the government has received several complaints regading DPC's failure to meet the stipulated pollution control standards. "According to these complaints, emission is quite high and pollutants are discharged without adequate treatment," Mr Deshmukh added.

Mr Deshmukh's announcement has come in the wake of a closure notice served by the MPCB to the DPC for carrying out power generation during trial runs of block b (722 mw) of phase-II since January 21 without seeking a consent to operate under the provisions of Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act.

Mr Deshmukh, who was talking to reporters after the customary tea meeting on the eve of Budget session of state legislature, said the DPC since then has stopped the power generation during the trial runs. The opposition Shiv Sena-BJP boycotted the chief minister's tea meeting on the grounds that the government was not taking them into confidence on various state issues.

The loss-making Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB), which was drawing power from both phase-I (740) and the block b of phase-II, as per the provisions of power purchase agreement, has stopped the despatch in view of high frequency and online capacity.

Mr Deshmukh made it clear that the Dabhol crisis has not hampered the domestic and foreign direct investments in the state. "Neither it will have any adverse impact on the future investments," he added.

Accroding to Mr Deshmukh, as per the power purchase agreement, MSEB is entitled to draw power at 90 per cent plant load factor from DPC. "However, in case of other investments, the state is commited to provide world class infrastructure but it was not binding on the state to puchase the products from the investor concerned," he added.

Mr Deshmukh called upon a national consensus on carrying out second generation reforms in the country cutting across the party affiliations. "Such a consensus and a code of conduct for the implementation of such reforms is needed," he opined.

Mr Deshmukh said the state government, which is resolved to carry out labour reforms, would hold further talks with various trade unions to take them into confidence. "The Centre has gone one step ahead and increased the labour strength from 300 as announced by the state to 1,000 for retrenchment under the Industrial Disputes Act. We still await the Centre's consent for the amendments already suggested by the state government in this act and the Contract Labour act," he added.