Minister for Energy G. Jagdish Reddy has asserted that there was no scope for imposing power cuts in the State at present.
The State had coal reserves to meet the energy demand for the next 200 years and there was no scope for power cuts for even a minute, he said. The Minister, in an informal chat with reporters who met him this morning, said coal production and crisis that was gripping the country because of the Central government’s policies.
“The Centre owes a response to the coal supply crisis engulfing the country at present,” he said. The State government on its part was prepared with plans for supply of power to Hyderabad and other places and a network had been put in place for the purpose. Hydel power generation too was contributing significant chunk to meet the demand.
Power generation from Srisailam, Nagarjunasagar, Ramagundam, Bhupalpally, Kothagudem and Manuguru was sufficient to meet the requirements of the State. He cited how the government could successfully meet the demand last year when it peaked to 16,000 MW.
He expressed concern that the country was likely to face severe problems on account of the unilateral decisions being taken by the Centre. The Centre should take the responsibility in the event of Telangana facing power shortages in the coming days. “Experts are expressing concern that artificial scarcity of coal is being created as part of efforts to privatize power sector,” he said adding that the Centre should refrain from usurping the rights of the States and ensure that their rights were protected.
