Jaya hits bypoll campaign trail;assures power crisis will ease

Sankarankoil (TN), Mar 14: Facing flak over the grim power situation in the state, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday assured the people that the scenario would improve from next June with the completion of various projects leading to total capacity addition of 1950mw.

"Power generation is being given high priority and I am giving special focus to this," she said at an election rally here in support of party candidate S Muthuselvi for the March 18 by-poll to Sankarankoil assembly constituency.

Power plants in North Chennai, Vallur and Mettur were on the fast track and the government had taken efforts to ensure 1950mw by June and another 600 mw by October, ensuring 2,550mw of power by the year-end, she said.

"The power shortage will start declining from June. Our efforts to buy power during this period have proved futile following congestion in the transmission corridor," she said about the issue which she had recently takenup with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Referring to reports about India planning to support Sri Lanka in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) against a US-sponsored resolution against Colombo for alleged war crimes, she remarked sarcastically "this is the concern of Congress towards Tamils."

The chief minister, who is on a whirlwind tour of the constituency as part of her campaign schedule, recalled the various welfare measures being implemented by her government.

The by-poll to the constituency in Tirunelveli District was necessitated due to the death of Minister C Karuppasamy in October last and the ruling party is facing DMK, DMDK, MDMK and BJP in the electoral battle.

PTI