Taking a serious note of irregular power supply to the farm-sector, chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Friday said that the ground realities in some parts of the state are different from what is being presented to him during review meetings.
Acknowledging that there are problems regarding power supply to the farmsector, he directed the power officials to immediately sort them out.
Speaking at a review with the AP Transco officials, he directed the officials to go to villages, find out difficulties and sort them out.
“Your distribution at the ground level in some of the areas should improve. Farmers should not be put to hardships and cultivation should not be allowed to suffer,” he said.
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu during his ‘Vastunna Meekosam’ Padayatra in Anantapur district alleged that the farm sector was not getting sufficient power and free power programme has failed.
“The power transmission lines could be used to dry clothes,” mocked Naidu. In the wake of Naidu’s comments, Kiran Reddy too admitted that ground realities were different from what the officials were presenting to him.
When Kiran Reddy directed the officials to visit villages to ensure sevenhour power supply, officials assured that a meeting of CMDs of Discoms would be convened on Saturday and the “important issue” would be discussed.
Kiran Reddy sanctioned Rs 600 crore to APTransco and Discoms for dealing with the present power crisis.
He also directed the finance department to consider immediate requirements of the APTransco to manage the present power crisis.
Kiran Reddy informed the officials that he would write to the Centre to restore the 1,400 MW power supply from the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) to the state. He said that the scant supply from the NTPC is one of the reasons behind the shortage.
On the coal shortage, the officials said that the supply to NTPC from Talcher coalfield in Odisha increased from six to nine rakes. The average power deficit every day is 59.46 million units. Currently, the Discoms were supplying around 215-220 MU a day with a daily shortfall of around 40-45 MU.