Arcot Veerasamy

CHENNAI: Electricity Minister Arcot N. Veerasamy informed the Assembly on Tuesday that the Government had revived the scheme of granting power connections to new houses in 24 hours, if all documents were provided. It had become operational from April 1.

Replying to a debate on demands for grants, he said the DMK Government had initiated the scheme on an experimental basis in Coimbatore in 2000-01 and one-lakh connections were given. But, the AIADMK regime discontinued it.

The Minister said those setting up small units (up to 5 horse power) would get power connection in a week. New small and tiny industries would be provided connections in a month.

By the year-end there would be no village or hamlet without electricity connection, the Minister said. The Board had identified around 80 hamlets without power in hilly ranges including Udhagamandalam. Non-conventional energy sources would be tapped to provide power to them.

To encourage the windmill sector, a Rs.8,000-crore, 672-acre Special Economic Zone was being set up at Kancheepuram to produce windmill parts, he said.

Sops for local bodies

The Minister announced a series of concessions for local bodies unable to clear power bill arrears. The interest would be reduced from 12 to 6 per cent. He conceded another long-standing demand of local bodies, to measure their power consumption. Around 16,000 meters would be installed in the next 30 days in all panchayats and other local bodies. Local bodies would now have to pay the Board Rs.9,500 per electricity pole to be put up (instead of Rs.12,000.)

Mr. Veerasamy said at a joint meeting he had with the Local Administration Minister, it was suggested that local bodies could come together and establish a power plant. If this were done, they would get power even cheaper, at Rs. 2.20 a unit instead of Rs.3.50.

The Government had embarked on a scheme to convert all overhead power lines to underground cables. It would be taken up in corporation areas such as Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem, Tiruchi and Tirunelveli initially. The Board had set apart Rs.1,100 crore and work would be over in a year. In the second phase, Municipalities would be covered.

26 foreign firms

The Chief Minister would soon write to the Centre on the need for the State to enter into Memoranda of Understanding with private power producers. Twenty-six foreign firms were waiting with projects capable of producing 40,000 MW, with a total investment of Rs.1.6 lakh crore. They would all come in if the MoU route was cleared. The country would require about 75,000 MW and Tamil Nadu would be in a position to sell power to other States once these projects were cleared.

The Government was also likely to get coal from Assam for its power projects, he said.

Of the 20,600 contract labourers in the Electricity Board, 6,000 would be absorbed as permanent staff this year, he said. The remaining would be absorbed over the next few years.

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