Power cuts to continue for a week or two: Govt

Jaipur, Jan 8 (UNI) Two to five hour power cuts enforced in urban areas in Rajasthan for past two days are likely to continue for next week or two, Minister of State for Energy Gajendra Singh Khimsar said here.

Addressing a press conference here today Mr Khimsar said that sudden fall in Northen Grid frequency and the Central Energy Regulatory Commission's decision to effect a sudden hike in power tariff coupled with extreme cold weather conditions had disrupted Rajasthan Government's arrangements and bilateral agreements with other states for purchase of the electricity for peak crop season.

He said that presently Rajasthan required around 1130 lakh units of electricity every day and against this demand the availability of power was slightly over 1000 lakh units per day.

He said that this sudden development had forced electricity supply companies to enforce two to five hour power cuts in urban areas in the state which would save around 25 to 30 lakh units per day.

Besides this, the state government had also made distress purchase of around 25 lakh units per day from Chatteesgarh.

While the state capital of Jaipur was subjected to a two hour power cut, other divisional headquarters were facing three hours cut and other districts and towns are subjected to four to five hours power cuts.

He said that situation was improving gradually and might imporve further by next week or so, if efforts for resumption of generation in Geral and Dholpur power houses were succeeded.

Mr Khimsar said that the crisis was temporary in nature and would not last beyond the month of January.

It might be over even before the season conditions and other factors favoured, the minister added.

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