The State government has directed the power utilities to fully gear up to ensure seven-hour power supply to agriculture sector as rabi is in full swing and is expected to end within a fortnight, leading to considerable reduction in agricultural demand.
In a review meeting held at Vidyut Soudha on Saturday, Dinesh kumar, Principal Secretary, Energy, directed power officials to take utmost care to maintain seven-hour supply without fail and CMDs of DISCOMs and all other officials of power sector should get ready for Praja Pratham, which will commence from tomorrow and make the programme a grand success.
The Principal Secretary also discussed about arrangements for Praja Pratham program with officials of power sector i.e. CMD/APTRANSCO Ajay Jain, Special Secretary Muneendra, Joint MDs K. Ranganatham, P. Ramesh and director of APTransco G. Srirama Rao and so on.
The government has directed the district Collectors to closely monitor seven-hour power supply to agricultural sector, timely replacement of distribution transformers by holding regular meeting with Agricultural and Electricity officials and to review substation level committee meetings, he added. In case any crop distress is reported in any part of the district, District Collectors have been instructed to bring it to the notice of CMDs of DISCOMs, so that extra hours of power supply can be made wherever required.
The government has agreed, in principle, to release Rs 25 crores in the first phase for shifting of LT & HT lines passing over habitations/housing colonies and requested District Collectors to review the progress. The demand reached all-time high of 307 MU on March 29 and the average demand met per day during April 2011 is 253 MU as against 293 MU unrestricted demand with a deficit of 40 MU per day. In 2011-12 as against requirement of 91402 MU, the State met 84821 MU resulting a deficit of 6581 MU i.e. 7.2% compared to Tamil Nadu (10.5%), Karnataka (11.2%), Maharastra (16.7%), Madhya Pradesh (17%), Uttar Pradesh(11.4%) and Bihar (22%). To meet this deficit to some extent, AP DISCOMs are purchasing around 26 MU per day through medium, short-term open access and intrastate generators and remaining is being met through load relief to Industrial and Domestic sectors. A letter has been addressed to the Irrigation department to release about 2 TMC water from Jurala to Srisailam reservoir to extend generation from Srisailam project for some more time as the government was very particular that not even a single farmer should lose his standing crop due to deviation in power supply and that seven hours of supply to agriculture must be maintained at any cost without compromise.
Keeping in view the ongoing examinations, to avoid inconvenience to students, night supply from 6 pm to 6 am in all the areas shall be ensured at any cost. He instructed CMDs/DISCOMS to coordinate with Rural Water Supply (RWS) officials and the District Collectors to ensure that drinking water schemes are not affected for want of power supply. He reiterated that DISCOMs should ensure sufficient rolling stock of distribution transformers so as to replace the failed distribution transformers within stipulated time.
Ajay Jain, CMD/APTRANSCO informed the Principal Secretary that control rooms are opened in APTRANSCO and all the four distribution companies and complaints received regarding agricultural supply are being attended to on priority. The Principal Secretary, who reviewed power supply position with CMDs of DISCOMs G. Anantha Ramu, Ahmed Nadeem, Ch. Narasimha Reddy, K. Vidya Sagar Reddy on April 12, stressed the need to give special focus for addressing consumer grievances. (NSS)