Jayalalithaa appoints panel to review power situation

In the wake of worsening power situation in the state, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa today appointed a panel headed by Electricity Minister Natham R Viswanathan to submit weekly report to her on the power situation.

A detailed review meeting chaired by the Chief Minister also discussed ways to bridge the shortage and expedite the ongoing power generation efforts, an official release here said.

The nine-member panel will have Municipal Administration Minister KP Munusamy, Chief Secretary Debendranath Sarangi and TNEB Chairman K Gnanadesikan among others as members.

"The said panel will meet every Monday to review the power situation in the state and submit report to the Chief Minister," it added.

The Jayalalithaa-led government had been facing flak on the power front in the wake of the widening demand-supply gap ranging upto around 4000 mw.

Besides the scheduled load-shedding in Chennai and elsewhere, reports claim of power cuts running into hours, drawing criticism from people and political parties alike.