Blaming the State Government for lack of foresight and planning, industrialists gave vent to their grievances over the power problems faced by them at an interaction session here on Sunday organised by the Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Ltd. and presided over by the Union Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Ms D. Purundeswari.
The local industrialists complained that customers of the APEPDCL were facing greater power problems than their counterparts in other parts of the State. The Symbiosys Technologies CEO, Mr O. Naresh Kumar, said that “due to lack of enough pressure from the political leaders from the region, industries in the north-coastal districts were facing power holiday for three days a week, against only two days in Hyderabad. It is clearly discriminatory.”
No justification
Ms Purundeswari sought to pacify the industrialists saying she had taken up the issue with the State Government. The AP Minister for Investment and Infrastructure, Mr Ganta Srinivasa Rao, said he would take up the issue at the Hyderabad level. The Tribal Welfare Minister, Mr P. Balaraju, said it was not appropriate to say there was no political pressure.
Earlier, Mr Ramakrishna Narappareddy, president of Visakha Autonagar Small-Scale Industrialists' Welfare Association, said due to political pressure, the power holiday had been slashed to two days from three days a week for small industries in Hyderabad region whereas consumers under APEPDCL, despite minimal losses and 100 per collection of billed amount, were facing three days power holiday.
Mr R.V.S. Raju, former chairman of the local CII chapter, said there was no long-term policy to overcome the problem. He said the government should plan power parks to generate 5,000-6,000 MW at various places to seek investments without any hassles.
Mr K. Satyanarayana, Managing Director, Coromandel Paints, said there was no justification to deny power to the industries for half of the six working days. It was as good as asking them to shut down.