Mah govt to provide assistance upto Rs 1,300 cr for Mahavitaran

Mumbai, Feb 13 (UNI) Alarmed over the growing power deficit leading to additional loadshedding, Maharashtra government today gave a go ahead to making financial allocation of Rs 1,300 crore for enabling the state's electricity transmission company-Mahavitaran to purchase electricity from other states on an emergency basis.

A decision to this effect was taken at a cabinet meeting.

The demand for electricity saw a steep rise as compared to availability in the last few days and the woes were coupled with the breakdown of unit one of Ratnagiri Gas and Power Project at Dabhol, one unit of Tata Power and few other power stations of MahaGenco, the generation arm of the state's power utility, official sources said.

Talking to reporters here, Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil said the state government had decided to purchase 600 MW electricity on daily basis for a period of three to four months from a Naphta based power plant in Andhra Pradesh.

He said Tata Power, which supplies electricity to Mumbai, was drawing power from Mahavitaran because one of its unit was shut down. The repair works are nearing completion and Mahavitaran would get 500 MW soon. Besides, 700 MW from Ratnagiri Gas would be available in two to three months and after the third phase is completed, the state would get 1400 MW of power.

He said the state government was ready to buy electricity from other states even at the maximum rate of Rs eight per unit to tide over the present crisis. Patil said the purchase of power from Andhra Pradesh would start immediately after the approval from Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC). Besides, if the MERC permits, some of the burden would be passed on to the consumers.

Mr Patil attributed the neglect of the power sector to the successive droughts and floods in the last seven years rule of the Democratic Front (DF) government.

He said the affidavit filed by the state government in the High Court a few years ago that the state was power surplus and did not require power was based on the financial implications of the high tariff of Enron power and not on availability of power.

Every year there is 1,000 MW increase in the demand of electricity in the state, he said and urged people to exercise restrain and not resort to violence while demanding power supply.

''They are equally responsible. Till 1994, the Congress governments always made budgetary provision of Rs 400 crore for generation of power. But, the system stopped during the Sena-BJP rule and the Cong-Ncp government could not effect any changes because of the series of natural calamities it was confronted with,''he added.

UNI