Provide relief from power cuts : PHD Chamber Urges Up Government

The PHD Chamber has urged the UP Government to minimize power cuts on industrial consumers. Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd. vide its recent order effective from 5 September, 2008 has imposed power cuts on all industrial units of the State from 10:00 pm to 06:00 am on a daily basis in addition to scheduled and unscheduled cuts during the day.

In a SOS to Minister of Power, Government of UP and the State Chief Secretary, Shri Shishir Jaipuria, Chairman, UP Committee, PHD Chamber lamented that industry in Uttar Pradesh is suffering a daily production loss of an estimated Rs.100 crores totaling over Rs.700 crores per week because of recent severe restrictions on power.

Highlighting the losses, Shri Jaipuria stated that by continuance of this order viability of units involved in manufacturing and processing of textile, leather, steel, engineering, etc. would particularly erode as they work round the clock and require continuous power supply.

Self generation of power through generating sets is not a substitute of regular supply from the grid. It costs nearly Rs.12 per unit and generators require frequent maintenance apart from consuming precious diesel.

It needs to be appreciated that because of lack of power competitiveness of industry is adversely affected, wages have to be paid for no work and export shipments of SMEs particularly are delayed, thus adversely affecting their creditability.  At the same time power utilities are increasing their losses.

Therefore Shri Jaipuria has called upon the State Government to impose minimum power cuts on industrial consumers; to the extent possible no power cut or switch off of feeders be resorted to for continuous process industries as precision machinery, electronic gadgets and raw material are damaged and finally purchase of power from national grid and the power market be undertaken.