Industry bodies welcome withdrawal of power cut from June 1

Industry associations, by and large, hailed the State Government’s announcement of withdrawal of power cut from June 1.

Welcoming the move, Tamil Nadu Electricity Consumers’ Association President D Balasundaram said it is good news for high tension consumers, particularly industrial establishments that have for almost six years suffered heavily because of severe power outages and load shedding. “This measure heralds the revival of the economy of the State and the country,” he said.

Thanking the Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa for fulfilling her promise of lifting power cut, the President of the Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Coimbatore, RR Balasundharam said that this would give enormous relief and drive economic growth of the State.

The Southern India Mills’ Association Chairman T Rajkumar said the move would generate additional employment and improve the performance of textile industry in the State.

Evacuation of wind energy would help wind mills and the textile industry, for the latter has more than 50 per cent of the windmill installed capacity for captive consumption. “The mills in the South would have an edge over its northern counterparts,” he added.

Hailing the decision, Kovai Power Driven Pumps and Spares Manufacturers’ Association President K Maniraj said the move would help revive the small and micro units that have been languishing for want of power and attract many more entrepreneurs to realise their dream of starting an industry in TN. The State Electricity Board should not delay sanctioning of new connections, he opined.

The President of Tamil Nadu Association of Cottage and Micro Enterprises (TACT) J James said the total withdrawal of power cut from June 1 gave a ray of hope for the tiny units that depend on job orders.

TACT has appealed to the powers that be to release the genset subsidy that has been pending for over 18 months. “Over 1,300 tiny units rushed to get a genset to keep the units running after the Government’s notification of 25 per cent subsidy last year. But the money is yet to come. Officials maintain that there is no fund allocation for this. It would be of great help if this amount is released at the earliest,” he said.