CHENNAI: Denying charges of violation of rules in power purchase by the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board, Minister for Electricity R Viswanathan on Friday said the agreements for procuring power from four private firms, against which Opposition parties had levelled charges, were signed during the previous DMK regime.
Replying to a special mention on the issue in the Assembly, Viswanathan said the basic fact was that the cost of generation went up depending on the raw materials used. In case petroleum products are used for power generation, the cost would be the highest. The Minister said the ‘high cost power’ was procured only for ‘emergency’ purposes since more than 70 per cent of the requirement of the State was met from TNEB’s own units and the supply from Central pool. Of the total requirement, only three per cent of power was procured from private firms like GMR, MPCL, SPCL, and Pillaiperuma Nallur project.
Observing that TNEB had purchased power from the private firms in a transparent manner, the Minister said there was no scope for any irregularities in the AIADMK regime, which is guided by former CM J Jayalalithaa. Accusing the DMK of blowing the issue out of proportion to divert the people’s attention, he said ‘There is not even an iota of scope for any wrong doing as Amma will not allow it.”