Centre blinks at Karnataka's power crisis

Shinde disputes States plea for higher share

Though Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde promised to redress the grievance of shortage of coal supply to Raichur Thermal Power Station due to the Telangana agitation, he cited the Centre’s limited power resources which came in the way of committing more power to the State, it is learnt.

The Union Power Ministry is under pressure from many states, including Andhra Pradesh, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, to enhance allocation, government sources told Deccan Herald.
Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra were worse off than Karnataka. Hence, any change in allocation pattern from the central grid will be based on the level of crisis, sources said.
The shortage of coal due to T-agitation had also hit power generation in some NTPC power plants, reducing the output by 8,000 MW a day across the country.

 The Coal India Limited strike had also hit coal supplies as the company was the biggest supplier to NTPC.

Review on Thursday
“We have received several demands for power from various states. We will act in accordance with  demand and supply,” Shinde told reporters after meeting Karandlaje.
   He said Karnataka’s officials have been invited to thrash out their problems with his Ministry officials on Thursday.

Shinde received a memorandum from Karandlaje but did not give any specific assurance on additional power allocation to the State. 

Shinde said he had instructed his officials to extend the maximum help possible.
 “I can’t give any specific assurance; officers will look into the Karnataka demand depending on availability of power in the central grid,” he added.

Turning the tables on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state, the Union minister pulled up the Karnataka Government for failure to augment capacity.

‘Stop blame game’
Rebutting State Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda’s charge that the Centre failed to bail out the State by providing sufficient power from central grid, Shinde said it was the state’s responsibility to generate power to meet its demand. Instead of indulging in blame game, the state government must concentrate on resolving its energy problems, he ribbed.
   Minister Karandlaje apprised Shinde and said the State was receiving just 1,000 MW power a day as against 1,800 MW allotted by the central grid.

   Non-supply of coal from Singareni Collieries in Andhra Pradesh had necessitated shutting down three units of RTPS.

The congestion on grid I prevented the state from buying power from neighbours, she said, adding that the daily availability of power stood at 6,000 MW, including central share, against the requirement of 7,000 MW.