UP chamber rails against cuts in power supply

The Indian Industries Association (IIA) has decided to ask the chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission to reject the UP government's move to cut power supply to industry during night.

The association feels it will give another reason for industry to shift to Uttaranchal and will act as a deterrent to new investment projects.

This follows the state government's decision to cut power to businesses during night shifts between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. The Cabinet has approached the UP electricity regulatory commission (UPERC) for permission.

The IIA has shot out a letter to the chairman of the UPERC stating that industry in UP is finding it extremely difficult to survive in the present competitive world, and lack of electricity is a major contributory factor.

Apart from scheduled power cuts, industry is subjected to heavy unscheduled cuts. For instance, in Saharanpur, the power for industry is for nine hours and even that is interrupted ten times in that period.

The IIA wants the UPERC to direct the licensees to supply uninterrupted power, failing which their minimum consumption guarantee should not be allowed. It also says the demand charges should be linked with supply hours.

In a prèss release, it has argued that not only the government is bent upon sending industry to other states, it also wants the industry to close down completely.

Although this government has coined the slogan, "Uttar Pradesh "�Uttam Pradesh", it is adopting policies which will close down trade and industry totally.

"Our neighbouring state, Uttaranchal, is providing facilities to industry and electricity at half of the cost of UP. The state government, instead of providing more facilities, is cutting the power supply too. This will give a major setback to production, create unemployment and cut government revenue," it says. Industry, it adds, will have to retrench workmen on night shifts.

This will lead to discontent and give a fillip to anarchic elements, and will lead to a deterioration in the law and order situation. Even the UP power corporation, which gets its maximum revenue from industry, will find its bottom line adversely affected.