LUCKNOW: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday directed the officials to ensure uninterrupted power supply between 6pm and 7am to both urban and rural areas. Presiding over a review meeting in the aftermath of the power crisis following shortage in coal stock, the CM asked the UP Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) chairman M Devraj to assess the coal availability in all power plants and take necessary steps to mitigate the crisis.
According to reports, as against a demand of around 18,000 Mw, the state is able to wheel in around 14,000 Mw, forcing unscheduled rostering in various district headquarters and villages.
To meet the shortage of electricity, the UP Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) is buying extra power on an emergency basis, sources said.
He said that the power crisis should be resolved in view of festivals. “In such times uninterrupted power supply at night is essential,” he observed at the meeting which was convened at his official residence.
The CM also reviewed the electricity system in the state through video-conferencing. All divisional commissioners, DMs, senior officers of the police and power department participated in the meeting.
Yogi further underscored that every consumer wants to pay the electricity bill hence they should not be troubled by erroneous electricity bills. He directed the officials to take strict action, including lodging of FIRs, against the billing agencies who were found callous and not working as per the agreement.
The CM sought implementation of a one-time settlement scheme (OTS) in relation to electricity bills soon. He said that the faulty transformers should be replaced within 48 hours in rural areas and 24 hours in urban areas as per the prescribed arrangements.
The quality of the replaced transformer should also be checked.
Yogi said that immediate action should be taken regarding the subsidy given to farmers. Tubewell connections should be provided in a time-bound manner.
"Any farmer who has paid in connection with the connection of the tubewell, should be provided with the electricity connection immediately," he said. The CM also pitched for resolving the cases pertaining to irregularities in the electricity bills of the beneficiaries of other schemes including Saubhagya Yojana.
