Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Wednesday asked the people of Tamil Nadu to “bear with her” during the current power crisis, saying the shortage would be gradually resolved and by end of 2013 there would be no load shedding at all.
“You have waited for so far. Wait for one more year. It may not even take one year. Wait till June, 2013 and bear with me,” she said while replying to the Opposition in the Assembly on the power situation.
Ms. Jayalalithaa said though her government was in no way responsible for the present situation, she had the duty and commitment to ensure uninterrupted power supply, as the people had reposed faith in her and elected her government.
“We will achieve our goal. We have already moved past the worst days. Tamil Nadu will become a power-surplus State,” she promised amidst thumping of desks by the treasury benches.
The Chief Minister said the situation had come to such a pass because of the DMK government’s failure to enter into Case-1 bidding with others States for power purchase and the Centre’s failure to provide a transmission corridor.
“The Centre’s gives priority only to States that had secured Case-1 bidding,” she said. As per Case-1 bidding, a State would get power for the price at the time of agreement even after 10 years. Ms. Jayalalithaa said the short-term power purchase agreements signed by the DMK government had caused enormous loss to the TANGEDCO.
“On the one hand, it was the indifference and inefficiency of the DMK government and on the other, betrayal of the Centre. But we will succeed in our efforts. We will not fail even if the Centre betrays us. I will not rest till I make Tamil Nadu a power surplus State,” she said.
The Chief Minister said though the State government had signed agreement for purchase of 1,100 MW power from other States, Tamil Nadu could get only 85 MW because of the non-availability of transmission corridor.
She had already written to the Prime Minister for allocation of 1,000 MW from the Central pool and creation of transmission corridor to link the southern States with others.
“The Centre has allotted only 100 MW and because of congestion in the transmission corridor Tamil Nadu receives only 78 MW,” she said.
Ms. Jayalalithaa said that the government had decided to approach the Supreme Court since the State’s plea for allocation of 1,721 MW from Delhi between November 1 and March 31, 2013 fell on deaf years.
The Centre also had not responded positively to her letter for allotment of the entire 1,000 MW to be produced in the first unit of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP).
Ms. Jayalalithaa said the Centre was making it difficult to set up new power projects and supplying only 80 per cent of the coal agreed through the Fuel Supply Agreement.
“But what we receive is only 70 per cent from Coal India Ltd,” she said, adding that the Union Environment Ministry was delaying approval for new power projects.
