The Hindu : Limited power cut likely for domestic sector too

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Sep 20, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad

Limited power cut likely for domestic sector too

By Our Special Correspondent

Hyderabad Sept. 19. A limited power cut not only for industries, but also for the domestic sector, appeared imminent in the State on Friday when the Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, and the Energy Minister, K. Subbarayudu, mentioned about such an "immediate necessity" for saving the standing crops in different districts, during a review of the power supply position.

Going by the description of the situation by the AP Transco CMD, Rachel Chatterjee, as the "worst in 40 years" for hydel generation reducing the total availability by 30 per cent, the Chief Minister noted that sown crops were drying up in several districts, and expressed the Government's resolve to protect them by making more power available for more hours to pumpsets effecting a corresponding cut for industrial and domestic sectors.

He asked the Transco officials to come out with an assessment of the requirement by the pumpsets indicating the specific hours of cut, which could be imposed for the aforesaid two sectors. If the dry spell continues and crops dry up, the cuts could be implemented straightaway for a month. Agriculture officials present at the video conference at which the review was made, told the Chief Minister that Anatnapur itself suffered a deficit rainfall of 50 per cent.

Mr Subbaraydu and Mrs Rachel Chatterjee promised the Chief Minister to review the situation "every now and then" and launch steps for mitigating the hardship of farmers "whatever the cost". The initiatives listed by them as having already taken were maintenance of rolling stock of transformers, shortening the replacement of the burnt out transformers within 48 hours for agriculture purpose and more hours of supply. The Chief Minister wanted this to be further reduced to 24 hours.

The CMD, giving an update of the situation, said, it was "criticial" as never before due to the thermal-hydel mismatch and even after outside purchases worth Rs 1.3 crores per day. The utility, as a result, faced a cumulative additional burden of Rs 300 crores up to August. With lack of rain and with agriculture load going up, the demand was peaking to 147.7 million units these days, as on Wednesday. They were trying to meet the challenge by postponing the overhaul of the thermal stations, and increasing the external purchases. Top priority was given to agriculture in view of the standing crops to be saved.

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