Formation of a separate state has not ended discrimination against the five Telangana districts of Warangal, Karimnagar, Khammam, Nizamabad and Adilabad, catered to by the Northern Power Distribution Company of Telangana State (TSNPDCL).
Step-motherly treatment by the energy authorities has deprived the region from its fair share of agricultural power since the days of the united Andhra Pradesh, which continues even to this day.
While almost all the agricultural feeders in the five districts of the Southern discom (TSSPDCL) are now invariably given six-hour supply, close to 95 per cent of TSNPDCL feeders get less than five hours’ supply per day. Often, this is limited to three to four hours, inform sources.
For example, on October 14, the net agricultural load relief enforced on TSSPDCL stood at mere three million units (MU), while for TSNPDCL it is close to 19 MU!
On the day, all the 2,469 agricultural feeders of the TSSPDCL were given six-hour supply, while a total of 2,654 feeders of TSNPDCL had less than five hours’ power.
NPDCL got a raw deal even in united AP, as it was given only five-hour supply against the seven-hour norm. According to sources, five hours have become the benchmark for NPDCL, so much so that only supply less than five hours would be shown as load relief.
This also affected Telangana’s share from central generating stations, as it was fixed based on previous five years’ consumption.
NPDCL was, through a GO in 2008, allocated 15.87 per cent of the total power in the united AP, which continues to this day as a pact of power sharing between the two states.
Share not being reworkedThe TSSPDCL, after transfer of two districts to AP, is getting 38.02 per cent.
Share of TSNPDCL is not being reworked because 50 per cent of its demand emanates from agriculture, and hence seasonal. However, there is no reason why the share cannot be reworked seasonally within the state, say experts.
“During the days of united AP, there were hardly any power cuts for city and industrial consumers. Now, there are power cuts for both, but savings thereby are reaped only by SPDCL consumers, to the deprivation of NPDCL” says K.Raghu, the Coordinator of the Telangana Electricity Employees’ JAC.
Mr.Raghu demands a separate discom for agriculture alone, so that discrimination is ruled out between regions.
