The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Rosaiah blames TDP for power sector ills

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 15, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Rosaiah blames TDP for power sector ills

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, SEPT. 14. The Finance Minister, K. Rosaiah, who also deals with Energy subject, has blamed the Telugu Desam Government for the present plight of the power sector in the State.

He told reporters here on Tuesday that the previous dispensation did not implement reforms properly and satisfactorily. The reforms per se were not bad but the methods selected for going about the changes were.

In the name of reforms, the Telugu Desam resorted to unbridled liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation. It had sold away assets for a song owned by the public sector undertakings such as APSEB instead of preserving them and attracting investment from outside.

Best criterion

Mr Rosaiah prescribed "usefulness to people" as the best criterion for adopting reforms in any sector. Answering questions, Mr Rosaish said the APSEB put out its best performance during the Congress tenure in 1989-94 when it earned Rs 86-crore profit and was adjudged best-managed power utility in the country. This was done without any reforms.

The Minister said it was too early to indicate if they would revert to the old system with an APSEB-like organisation at the apex level. He denied there was lack of quality power supply to industries.

Mr. Rosaiah joined the issue with three Telugu Desam leaders who asked him to hang himself for the Congress failure on its election promise of free power supply. Rebutting the criticism by TDP leaders -- K. Vidyadhara Rao, S. Chandramohan Reddy and S. Venugopalachary -- , Mr. Rosaiah said the "illogical outbursts" indicated the unsettling impact of electoral debacle on them. He too had lost in the elections, but he never lost control of his tongue.

Mr Rosaiah said if one were to hang himself for non-fulfilment of election promises, it was the Telugu Desam leaders who should do that first. Had not the TDP gone back on is election promises such as prohibition, subsidised rice scheme (Rs 2 per kg) and girl child protection scheme? The Congress had "at least partially" implemented free power to farmers and one-bulb households, he said.

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