BENGALURU: Former chief minister HD Kumaraswamy on Tuesday demanded that the state government come out with a white paper on the power situation in the state.
The state is facing the worst power crisis due to a lack of foresight and that has further worsened the distress in the agriculture sector, he said. He also accused the government of not clearing private power suppliers’ bills for six months.
The government is releasing Cauvery river water to Tamil Nadu and farmers in the state are suffering due to load-shedding, he said. “All districts in the state are facing severe power crisis, which is also hitting the crops. There is no power to pump water from borewells,” he said, adding that now the government is trying to purchase power from other states.
The JDS leader said there is no water in the reservoirs and thermal power stations are also facing coal shortage. The government is getting power from outside the state to meet nearly 20 per cent of the demand, he said.
The government is resorting to power cuts in the name of repair and maintenance of the systems, he said. Kumaraswamy stated that the government will only implement the guarantees till the Lok Sabha polls.