Jayalalithaa promises to end power cuts in one year

The duration of power cuts has been reduced gradually in five months

Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa on Friday said that the State would become free from power shortage in one year.

Ms. Jayalalithaa, who began her campaign at Salem and flew down to Erode, Tirupur and Coimbatore by helicopter, told an election meeting here that within five months of assuming office, the AIADMK government had reduced the duration of power cuts gradually. Through sustained efforts to augment power generation, Tamil Nadu will be turned into a State sans power cuts, she said.

In order to ensure implementation of promises made during the Assembly elections, her government had formed an exclusive Ministry for Special Schemes Implementation, Ms. Jayalalithaa said.

In the last five years, there was no good scheme for the people and even the city failed to witness any growth.

“During the previous regime, you were afraid of the councillors who amassed wealth and usurped properties, but if AIADMK candidates were returned to the local bodies, they would stand by the public for their well being and will not act against the people's interest, she assured.

At Tirupur, she said, “In the last five years, irregularities were at their peak in the local bodies, as the elected representatives were bothered more about their prosperity than the welfare of the public.”

Earlier, speaking at Salem and Erode, Ms. Jayalalithaa said that in the last five months of AIADMK rule, not only had the people been liberated from land grabbers, the image of the police had also been transformed into being “friends of public” from “friends of rowdies”. In the last five months, the AIADMK had ensured the rule of law. She said her government was addressing various issues confronting the Sri Lankan Tamils by passing a resolution in the Assembly.

The Chief Minister called upon the voters to teach a fitting lesson to DMK leaders who indulged in land grab.