GUWAHATI, May 9 � The power situation in the State is yet to improve. As the State, which does not have its own generation to meet its power demand, has not been able to draw power from outside the NE region for the seventh consecutive day today.
According to the Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) authorities, the restoration of its vital 400 Kv Binaguri-Bongaigaon circuit is expected to be completed by May 14 or 15.
Meanwhile, prolonged power cuts have made life miserable for the people. The issue has also become a political one. The State wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has alleged that the load shedding has made the small industrial units and traders incur a loss of Rs 100 crore every day.
The State today faced around 450 MW of power shortage during the peak load hours (evening), while its shortfall during the off peak load hours (day time) was around 230 MW. Its power availability during the peak load hours was around 650 MW, against a demand of around 1100 MW. During the off peak load hours, its power availability was around 490 MW, against the demand of around 720 MW.
The State had generated on its own around 257 MW of power during the peak load hours with Namrup generating 90 MW, Lakwa generating around 127 MW and Karbi Langpi generating around 40 MW of power. During the off peak load hours, the State had a generation of around 217 MW (Namrup � around 90 MW and Lakwa � around 127 MW) of power, sources in the Assam Power Distribution Company Ltd (APDCL) said.
Prolonged power cuts have resulted in severe hardship for the industry here. Most of the industrial units are more or less virtually closed. Only those units who have their own generation capacities are able to run only at 25 per cent of their capacities, rued Federation of Industries and Commerce of NE Region (FINER) Chairman R S Joshi while talking to this newspaper.
The process industries like those producing oxygen and industrial gases require uninterrupted power, which is not available.
Moreover, the power that has been made available is also of poor quality and damaging equipment. The situation is very distressing. No load-shedding schedule is maintained and the industrial circles here are quite at a loss, said the FINER Chairman.
He pleaded for drawing lessons from the present situation and underlined the need for going for alternative arrangements for power generation and transmission.
North Eastern Tea Association (NETA) Chairman Bidyananda Barkakoty said the present power scenario has affected the tea industry hard. He maintained that if the Assam Gas Company Ltd can supply adequate amount of gas for the generator sets of the tea estates, it will provide much relief to the tea industry in such dismal power situations.
Former Chief Engineer of the Public Health Engineering Department A B Paul said, �We must go for enhancing our generation, explore the potential of the renewable sources of energy in a serious manner. If we go for serious attempts there cannot be any reason as to why we can�t overcome this situation.�
The dismal power situation has led to undeclared closure in many market areas of the city with the traders downing their shutters by the dusk.
