Industry in Uttarakhand may have to pay more to avoid power cuts during lean seasons in future.
The acute power crisis in the state, compounding the worries of industry, which is already facing the spectre of a slowdown, has led the state government to declare it would hold talks with industry players for a long-term strategy to provide uninterrupted power supply during lean seasons.
“We are working on a plan where we will discuss matters related to improving power supply during the lean season, especially during May-June. If the industry is ready to pay higher power tariffs during the lean season, we will provide them uninterrupted power supply,” Principal Secretary (industrial development) Rakesh Sharma, said today. “For this, the industry department will devise a special power package during lean season.”
From the small industrial units to top manufactures like Nestle and ITC, all are adversely impacted due to the deepening power crisis with the state-run Uttarakhand Jal Vidyt Nigam’s power generation falling by 6 million units during the past few days.
The total demand in the hill state has risen to 33-35 million units against the availability of only 30 million units per day.
Industrialists claim they are still facing 5 to 8 hours of unscheduled power cut on daily basis despite the state buying additional 100 Mw of power from the open market.
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Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna has stated the government would buy power from outside and would not allow any power cuts, especially in Udhamsing Nagar.
The Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL), the sole power provider in the state, is resorting to rostering in industrial towns.
Nevertheless, worried industrialists have urged the UPCL Managing Director A K Johri to take remedial measure to end the deteriorating power situation. “We have lodged a strong protest with the UPCL,” said Pramod Kalani, President of the drug manufacturers association of the Uttarakhand pharma cluster.
“We have warned the government that the huge power cut will paralyse the industry in the state,” said Pankaj Gupta, president of the Industries Association of Uttarakhand, a body of the small and medium enterprises.
The industry in the hill state is badly hit by the power crisis which in turn is affecting industrial production in the hill state, especially at Pantnagar and Haridwar, the two main hubs of the industry.
“Our steel industry is facing an unscheduled 10 to 15 hours of power cut daily,” said Yogesh Jindal, head of the KVS Steel at Kashipur in Kumaon region.