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Retain KSEB in public sector, says Achuthanandan

Special Correspondent

He says UDF Government has neglected the growth of power sector

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan has said that, as in all sectors of the Kerala economy, the power sector had gone through a phase of zero-growth during the last nearly five years of the UDF Government in the State.

Inaugurating the annual convention of the Kerala State Electricity Board Officers' Association here on Sunday, he said the installed power generation capacity in the State had gone up by 1,086 MW during the five years of the LDF Government from 1996 to 2001. During the current term of the UDF Government, however, hardly 23 MW of generation capacity had been added, he said.

Mr. Achuthanandan said that this "callous neglect" had taken the State several steps backward.

He said the debts of the State Government had gone up by more than Rs.23,000 crores during the last five years. Despite drawing loans in large quantities, the Government could undertake no development works in the State. Both the manufacturing sector and the farm sector had gone through negative growth.

The traditional industries and the plantation sector, which sustained several lakhs of people, were in dire straits. Over a thousand farmers had committed suicide burdened by debts. The Government had left the suffering sections of society to fend for themselves while extravagance and corruption flourished within the administration.

Mr. Achuthanandan sought a thorough review of the Electricity Act of 2003, which mandated breaking up the State Electricity Boards into independent entities dealing with various functions like power generation, transmission and distribution. He said the Act was drafted in line with the policies of international lending agencies such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.

He stressed the need to retain the power supply business in the public sector, since electricity had become an essential commodity for all sections of society. Allowing market forces to control power supply business would be disastrous in India, he said.

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