JOIN USJaya seeks power surrendered by Delhi
This is decentralisation of a different kind that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha now asks for from the Central Government.
With the government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT) proposing to surrender power to the extent of 1721 MW from various Central generating stations during the coming five months from November 1, in the run-up to winter, Jayalalitha has urged that this entire electricity be reallocated to Tamil Nadu, suffering from one of its worst power crisis in recent decades. According to information available with the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Company (TANGEDCO), formed after the unbundling of the State Electricity Board as part of the power sector reforms, NCT has proposed to surrender 230 MW round the clock from November 1 this year to March 31, 2013.
During the same period, NCT has also proposed not to withdraw another 1491 MW during 0000 hrs to 0600 hours daily. This totals to 1721 MW which NCT has planned not to avail of from Central power generating stations during those five months.
Pointing out that TANGEDCO has requested the union power ministry now to reallocate the entire quantum of surrendered power (by NCT) to Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday, sought the latter’s intervention to make this possible and help tide over the acute power crisis in Tamil Nadu.
The demand-supply gap daily in Tamil Nadu at present was 4000 MW, which is the highest in the Southern region, Jayalalitha said in her letter.
Widespread load-shedding has been resorted to across the state (several districts have to go without electricity for up to even 16 hours a day), causing severe hardship to the people, she said.
After a deficit South-West Monsoon this year already adding to both the water and power shortages, Jayalalitha said the state’s agriculture sector has been among the worst hit, both due to the Monsoon’s failure and inadequate power supply, thereby affecting food production this year. Referring to her earlier letter to Singh urging allocation of additional 1000 MW of power from the Central pool to part mitigate the power shortage in Tamil Nadu, Jayalalitha said, as of now only a meager quantum of 100 MW was allotted. Even out of that, only about 78 MW was being made available, she said.
On the other hand, due to the persistent congestion in the power transmission corridor to the South, it has constrained TANGEDCO from receiving power contracted to buy from other states.
This has aggravated the power deficit situation in Tamil Nadu, the chief minister said and reiterated her request to Singh to ensure that the required additional quantum of 1,000 MW of power transmission capacity is made available to enable the state receive the power contracted by TANGEDCO.