Govt nod to 7-hour power supply to farm sector

Andhra Pradesh Government today directed collectors to constantly monitor power supply position in their respective districts and ensure that the agriculture sector gets seven-hour supply at any cost. Chief Secretary Minnie Mathew held a video conference with district collectors in the presence of other government officials to review the power scenario amidst unprecedented energy crisis in the state.

Ironically, the video conference itself was disrupted for over ten minutes due to a power outage in the C block of the Secretariat here that houses the offices of chief minister and chief secretary. Consequently, the state headquarters lost link with the district collectorates and it was restored after the technical glitch was rectified. The chief secretary directed the collectors to ensure that not a single acre of kharif crop withered due to lack of power. Take a proactive role and enforce better power management, Mathew told her junior colleagues. The top bureaucrat said the power crisis was because of shortage of fuel. Only about 1,200 MW was being generated from gas-based plants as against the installed capacity of 2,700 MW due to shortage of fuel, she said. She wanted the power distribution companies to strictly follow the load relief schedules for different categories of consumers. Some collectors informed her that the situation had improved in the last few days because of rains. Karimnagar collector Smita Sabharwal requested government to supply power for more than six hours to power looms so as to benefit weavers.

PTI