The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : No need for power cut in State now, says Chandy

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Wednesday, Aug 22, 2007
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Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

No need for power cut in State now, says Chandy

Special Correspondent

‘Hydel reservoirs have sufficient water to generate 800 million units of power ’

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy has questioned Power Minister A.K. Balan’s contention that the State cannot pull on without power cut or load-shedding.

Inaugurating a signature campaign launched by the Kerala Electricity Employees Confederation to press the demands of the KSEB employees here on Tuesday, Mr. Chandy said there was no basis for the Minister’s contention as the hydel reservoirs in the State had water sufficient to generate 800 million units of power more than what was possible during the corresponding period last year.

‘Misleading statement’

The Opposition leader said the Minister’s statement was intended only to create an impression that the State was faced with a serious power crisis so that the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) could go in for purchase of costly thermal power and increase power tariff. Another secret objective of the Government was to create the impression that the KSEB and the power sector were in deep crisis and use this argument to support corporatisation of the Board, he alleged.

Mr. Chandy accused the Government of attempting to sell off 100 acres of land owned by the Board to the promoters of the Smart City project for a mere Rs.7.5 crore, and said this was part of the Left Democratic Front Government’s policy of destroying public sector units. He termed unjust the rejection of the KSEB’s demand that it should get at least Rs.100 crore for the land. Even Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan had made such a demand when he was Leader of the Opposition.

The Leader of the Opposition said there was no need to split the KSEB into separate companies, as experience had shown that the Board could be run profitably in its present form.

Confederation working president K.P. Dhanapalan presided over the meeting. Deputy leader of the Congress Legislature Party G. Karthikeyan delivered the keynote address.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee vice-president Thalekkunnil Basheer, confederation general secretary M.S. Rawther and others spoke.

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