The ruling TVK and the opposition DMK sparred over electricity network on Monday after Tamil Nadu Electricity Minister CTR Nirmal Kumar alleged that no infrastructure development work had been undertaken during the previous DMK government and said a white paper on the energy sector would be released within three days.
Responding to charges by Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin over frequent power outages severely affecting the people, the minister said the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board had incurred debts of a staggering Rs 2.5 lakh crore.
"No infrastructure development was taken up in the last 5 to 15 years. The government will present a comprehensive white paper on this in three days," state minister for Energy Resources told the Assembly.
He claimed that the TNEB was reeling under a huge vacancy deficit of 70,000 posts. Despite the shortcomings, the present government had constituted 125 committees to address power outages and appointed 500 persons on contract.
Former DMK electricity minister V Senthil Balaji then remarked that the then DMK government had announced plans to establish 393 sub-stations and completed much of the work. About 90,000 transformers were purchased to ensure an uninterrupted power supply.
He advised holding review meetings with officials to ensure smooth power distribution rather than blaming the previous government.
Intervening, Kumar said the previous DMK government had made only announcements but implemented nothing. "Of the 90,000 transformers, the purchase of 44,000 was under investigation by a central agency for alleged impropriety," the minister said.
AIADMK member Agri Krishnamurthy took exception to the minister's remarks, saying that during the tenure of the late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, the state had been successfully transformed into a power-surplus entity and had even transmitted surplus power to neighbouring states such as Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
When Udhayanidhi criticised the ruling TVK over frequent power cuts specifically targeting the Perambur constituency, claiming it had become the number one area for power outages, the minister responded that the government regularly updated the public on the causes of outages.
Highlighting the plight of people affected by unannounced power cuts, Udhayanidhi remarked sarcastically: "Earlier, people used to check the TV to see if schools were open, but now they check if there is power to switch on the TV."
He cited the tragic death of an elderly woman on ventilator support during a power cut, the struggles of MSMEs and the severe impact on irrigation for agricultural activities.
The DMK leader ridiculed the government over its claims on fuse carrier theft, questioned the minister's handling of the situation and said it had become a trend to blame the previous government for all current "failures".
