The state intends to buy power from private players like the Jindals who produce it to tide over the current power crisis, according to energy minister, Shobha Karandlaje. Speaking to the Deccan Chronicle, after conducting an emergency meeting with the officers of her department on Wednesday, Ms Karandlaje said besides buying power, shopping arcades, malls and other major power consuming businesses would be encouraged to opt for captive generation.
“We cannot afford to waste a single unit. As most malls, shopping arcades, business houses and industries consume heavy energy, we need to convince them to opt for captive generation,” she explained. The minister said she was planning to lead a delegation to Maharashtra with water resources minister, Basavaraj Bommai to ask for immediate release of water from the Koyna dam to Karnataka. Our requirement is just two tmcft of water, but we need it urgently. Prior to our visit, I will discuss the matter with CM, D.V. Sadandananda Gowda and request him to speak with his counterpart," she added.
...And CM makes all the right noises
The Raichur Thermal Power Station (RTPS) which shut down partially on Monday, threatening to plunge the state into a power crisis, would soon be able to resume optimal operations, Chief Minister D.V.Sadananda Gowda assured here on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters at Shiroor village in Yelburga taluk following a drought review meeting with district officials, he said 6,000 cusecs of water had been released into the Krishna river from the Narayanapur dam over the past three days to overcome the water shortage that had forced the RTPS to shut down four of its units. The water would reach the thermal power plant on Thursday and help it resume generating power in full capacity for the next 12 days, he explained, adding that the state would resort to these same measures till May 31 to ensure there was no interruption in the plant's operations.
Claiming that the power crisis was temporary and the state would become self-reliant in power generation in two years, he said the government had taken several initiatives to generate about 8000 MWs over the past three years, but the projects had been delayed for various reasons.
Regarding the delay in release of two tmc of water to Karnataka from the Koyna reservoir by Maharashtra he said he had brought up the matter again with a minister of the neighbouring state on Tuesday night.
Revealing that he would lead an all party delegation to Delhi on May 2 to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other Union ministers to appeal for release of more funds for drought relief work, he said the Centre had released Rs 700 crore last week to the state and it had been used to clear dues of about Rs 400 crores in the districts under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme(MGNREGS).
District officials have meanwhile been instructed by the Chief Minister not to switch off their mobile phones until the drought relief work is completed." You are free to take leave after the monsoon sets in. Until then you must be available at all times to respond to the people suffering the severe drought," he told the officers present at the drought relief meeting.