Weekly Holiday to b e withdrawn after May 15: Minister

Tiruchirapalli, May 11 (UNI) A Weekly Holiday advised for the Industrial Sector in Tamil Nadu due to short supply of power will be withdrawn after May 15, as the power generation of the State has improved, State Electricity Minister Arcot N Veerasamy said today.

Talking to mediaipersons here, he said the Government has divided the Industrial sector of Tamil Nadu as six regions and imposed a weekly holiday system for the Industrial Units due to power shortage.

Mr Veerasamy said the windmill power generation system will start generating power only after May 15, and that too, after on-setting of monsoon. But this time from April 27 onwards, the wind mills in the State, started generating power in full swing and so far generated 1800 MW of power per day, he added.

The minister said following this, the state government has stopped drawing power from neighbouring states, as well as central pool.

Asked about the reason for the recent power cricis in the state, the minister said that there was no crisis at all, but there was a problem like transmission loss, and other technical reasons like replacing the old transformers and feeder systems. To set-right this, the government will need atleast Rs 2000 crore, he added.

He said under the present situation, it is difficult to meet out this huge expenditure.

There will be no power-cut in the State after May 30. Thereafter the Tamil Nadu electricity board (TNEB) will sell its surplus power to the power trading corporation, at Rs seven per unit. The amount realised through selling of the surplus power, will assist the TNEB, which is facing a severe financial crisis, he added.

The minister said the TNEB was incurring an annual loss of Rs 4700 crore. The State Government used to give to TNEB Rs 1510 crore as grant per annum for their free power supply scheme to the farmers and huts, and it is is expected to realise atleast another Rs 2000 crore through sale of surplus power by the TNEB to Power Trading Corporation, which will be of immense relief to the TNEB, he added. UNI RV KVV AK VC1600