BELGAUM: Can Belgaum be rid of power failure?

"Yes," if the Government makes up its mind, says Belgaum Chamber of Commerce and Industries (BCCI) president Shashi Chandgadkar.

The existing Tata Power Company (TPC) situated on the outskirts of the city may help stabilise power supply. However, owing to lack of coordination, the facility was not being utilised for the purpose it has been commissioned.

Utilising this power generation plant would make Belgaum a city with no power failure, which would encourage the growth of industries as well as attract IT majors, particularly those looking for an alternative to Bangalore.

The BCCI, which tried to draw the attention of Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa to the issue during their two-day visit to the district, said the TPC was started on a demand from HESCOM.

At present, it was generating 83 MW of power, which was being fed to the main grid. This left the plant idle most of the time. In fact, it ran only a few hours every day, it said.

Steps should be taken to ensure that the TPC runs to its optimum capacity and the power generated should be supplied to Belgaum.

Excess power could be fed to the grid, the BCCI said. In times of emergency, the additional requirement could be met by HESCOM.

Mr. Chandgadkar said such an arrangement required no extra investment by HESCOM or any other government agency. What was needed was minimum investment to undertake some changes in the distribution system.

110 KVA workstation

Mr. Chandgadkar said work on the 110 -KVA workstation at Udyambag has been taken up after a long time. The industry had been demanding that the unit be set up. The authorities concerned should expedite the work on the plant to ensure that the unit is commissioned on time, he added.

The workstation would be of help to the industry as it would ensure uninterrupted power supply. Also, the demand for power had been increasing as a result of the improvements in the techno-commercial scenario, he said.

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