Monday, 18 July 2022 | PNS | Dehradun
Taking the State government to task for unscheduled power outages even during the ongoing monsoon season, the leader of opposition (LoP) in the State Assembly Yashpal Arya has said that the Union government should provide electricity at cheap rates and increase the quota of the state from the central pool. He said that the BJP government had promised that it would provide 24 hours of electricity in a day but it is able to provide power for only eight to nine hours a day even during the rainy season when there is no shortage of water. He said that there is no shortage of water for the hydro power projects but it is apparent that the government lacks proper policies and work culture.
He said that the unscheduled and long power outages have made things difficult for the people of the state. Arya also claimed that the problem of low voltage has also compounded the problem of the people. He said that the power cuts have also affected industry and welders, saw machine operators and carpenters. The shopkeepers are forced to spend thousands of rupees in a day to buy diesel for the generators. Arya said that he is receiving complaints that the officers and employees are not picking up phone calls of the public representatives which shows that the government has no control over the officers.
The LoP alleged that the Uttarakhand government is planning to sell all the three power corporations, Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL), UJVN Limited and Power Transmission Corporation of Uttarakhand Limited (PTCUL). He said that adhocism prevails in the operation of these corporations and most of the posts of the directors are lying vacant. Apart from the top posts, most of the posts of junior engineers are also vacant.
He said that the state needs about 55 MU of power in a normal day and the state meets 65 per cent of this requirement from local generation and central quota. A shortfall of about 10 MU which is 35 per cent of its requirement always exists. The LoP claimed that the state government compromised the interest of the state in the power purchase agreement (PPA) of 99 MW Singoli- Bhatwadi projects and two gas based projects (450 and 250 MW) in Udham Singh Nagar.
Arya demanded that the central government should increase the state’s quota in the central pool and provide cheap electricity to the state.
