Tamil Nadu blames Centre for power crisis, moves Supreme Court

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government has decided to move Supreme Court against the Centre accusing it for the acute power crisis in the state.

Currently Tamil Nadu suffers a power deficit of around 4,000 MW, with several parts of the state experiencing around 15 hours of power cut.

Chief Minister Jayalalithaa had said that she had repeatedly requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for additional 1,000 MW power for a year, but the Centre did not accede to her request. According to the government, the Centre failed to reallocate 1721 MW power surrendered by the Delhi government due to congestion in the transmission corridor.

Blaming the central government for the crisis, she said that though her government contracted to source 500 MW from Gujarat, it was able to get only 235 MW owing to congestion in the transmission corridor.

Another contract for purchase of 1,100 MW was entered into, but owing again to congestion in the transmission corridor, only 85 MW is being obtained.

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She said it was the responsibility of the central government to set up transmission corridors. She blamed the central government for ignoring the needs for such corridors for the southern states.

On Friday, she assured people that the power situation in the state would improve from November on and the state would be free of power crises after 2013.

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Addressing the people on the power situation in the state, Jayalalithaa said: "Now several new power projects are in various stages of completion. From November onwards, new power projects will start functioning one by one. Before November, there will be good improvement in the power situation."

She assured the people that by the end of 2013, the power shortage issue would be resolved. She accused the previous DMK government of not launching any major power projects, neglecting the long-term interests of the state.

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Jayalalithaa said that in 2006, when the AIADMK lost power in the state, there was surplus power. But the succeeding DMK government did not implement schemes started by her government.

With demand for power increasing in the state, the DMK government, instead of starting new power projects, purchased power at high cost. That in turn resulted in the state electricity board incurring a huge loss of Rs.40,375 crore, she said.

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Jayalalithaa wondered why the union ministers from the state belonging to DMK and the Congress had not compelled the centre to set up the transmission corridor for Tamil Nadu. "Had they so willed it, they could have accomplished the task," she said.