'Maharashtra power scheme may hit roadblock'

R V Shahi, energy secretary, Government of India, today said that the free power scheme in Maharashtra could run into big trouble unlike Andhra Pradesh where the supply-demand gap is well within manageable limits, beside the availability of cheaper power to sustain the programme.

Initiating the debate in a one-day conference on 'Power supply to agriculture sector' here on Wednesday, Shahi said that about 700-800 mw additional requirement has been reported in Maharashtra after the announcement of the free power scheme in that state.

"In Maharashtra, the supply-demand gap is already between 2,000 mw and 2,500 mw. If the gap goes up any further, it will create a big problem to the Maharashtra grid besides certain adjoining regions," he cautioned.

Shahi also pointed out the fact that the non-availability of cheaper power such as hydel generation as in the case of Andhra is also a cause for concern in sustaining the scheme.

"The average dependence of states on central power generation for their energy requirement is about 32 per cent. If the states fail to find investments in power generation, it will easily go up to 42 per cent in the near future," Shahi warned.