AP to get Rs 8,000 cr for cutting T

Hyderabad, Nov 14 (UNI) The Centre will fund a Rs 8,000-crore project to reduce transmission and distribution (T&D) losses in Andhra Pradesh to well below 13 per cent, Union Minister of State for Power Jairam Ramesh said today.

Talking to reporters here, after a meeting with Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, he said Andhra Pradesh was the first state to take advantage of the Rs 50,000 crore of the Accelerated Power Distribution Reform Programme.

The state government had already prepared a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the purpose. The DPR would be implemented in 142 towns in the state.

Mr Ramesh hoped that it would be easy for Andhra Pradesh, which was the first to implement the power reforms and avail the benefit of the DPR by implementing the scheme.

The state would be a role model in this regard for others to follow, he said.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister informed Mr Ramesh about the series of steps taken to bring down the T&D losses in the power sector.

The Union Minister congratulated the Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited (APEPDCL), comprising Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, East and West Godavari, for reducing the T&D losses to a mere eight per cent during 2007-08.

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