Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

Naidu to take up power development charges issue with APERC

By Our Staff Reporter

KARIMNAGAR SEPT. 6 . The Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, today promised steps for waiver of development charges being collected by the AP Transco towards additional loads from low and high tension consumers.

Addressing a huge gathering of members of self-help groups here on Friday, the Chief Minister conceded that the development charges were a burden on the consumers, and said he would take up the issue with the A.P. Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC). He would ensure that the AP Transco authorities did not resort to coercive collection till the issue was resolved.

Highlighting the Government's achievement of generating an additional 3,700 MW of thermal power, he expressed concern over the stoppage of hydel generation due to depletion of water level in reservoirs. In spite of the problem, the Government was ensuring nine hours' supply for agriculture pumpsets and 24 hours to domestic consumers in the rural areas.

Mr. Naidu warned of serious action against farmers pilfering power by using phase converters on the rural feeders during unscheduled time. He called upon people, more particularly the self-help groups, to discourage power pilferage as it would burden genuine consumers.

The Chief Minister said that women in the State had achieved a unique distinction by forming a record number of self-help groups with 60 lakh membership. These groups had saved about Rs. 800 crores and received Rs. 600 crores as matching grant from the Government raising the revolving fund to Rs. 1,400 crores.

Referring to steps taken for economic empowerment of youth, he said that the Government had extended financial assistance of Rs. 331 crores to 33,603 yuva shakthi groups in the State.

Over 30,000 groups were functioning successfully and progressing on all fields. Stressing the need for adopting the small family norm, he called upon the womenfolk and officials to encourage institutional deliveries as only 60 per cent of the deliveries were performed in hospitals and the remaining in houses, which was a cause of concern for the woman and the child's health.On the prevailing drought conditions, the Chief Minister said a Central team would visit the State to study the situation on September 9.

The Union Finance Minister was also visiting the State on September 11. He called upon people to strictly enforce the utilisation of rice under the Food-for-work scheme to beneficiaries.

The Chief Minister struck a philosophical note when he said that "people who plant more saplings and protect their growth will go to heaven and the people who cut trees and do not encourage plantation will go to hell.''

He also warned the people of serious action if they employ child labour.

The Minister for Technical Education, M. Damodar Reddy, the Minister for Tourism, T. Srinivas Yadav, the Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs, P. Ramulu, the MPs — Suguna Kumari and Chada Suresh Reddy — the legislators, E. Peddi Reddy, Suddala Devaiah and K Devender Rao, the Congress legislators, T. Jeevan Reddy, J. Ratnakar Rao and Bomma Venkateshwar, the BJP legislator, G. Ramakrishna Reddy, the Collector, Sumita Dawra, and other officials were present.

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