Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has cleared Chief Secretary Dinesh Kumar’s proposal to provide round-the-clock three-phase power supply in the remote Left Wing Extremism (LWE) - affected villages of Srikakulam; Vizianagaram; Visakhapatnam; East and West Godavari; and parts of Guntur districts to enhance the economic activity and improve the standards of living there at an approximate cost of ₹350 crore.
In an official release, Principal Secretary (energy) Ajay Jain and AP-Genco MD and AP-Transco CMD K. Vijayanand put the number of LWE-hit villages having three-phase supply at 341 out of 4,972, though all the villages were connected to the grid. Besides, DGP M. Malakondaiah, Additional DGP (Intelligence) A.B. Venkateswara Rao, and other senior officers had emphasised on the importance of upgrading the power supply in the LWE-affected villages at a recent review meeting.
Boost to MSMEs
Mr. Kumar explained the Chief Minister that the three-phase power supply would facilitate establishment of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises in the the villages.
Visakhapatnam district accounts for the highest number of LWE-hit villages not having the three-phase power supply at 3,317, followed by Srikakulam 446; West Godavari 401; East Godavari 381; Guntur 75; and Vizianagaram 11.
The priority being given to improve power supply in the LWE-affected villages goes in tandem with the development of road network and augmenting other social infrastructure, particularly in the education and health sectors.
Eighty percent of these villages are connected to the nearby all-weather roads.
