Tamil Nadu moves SC against power shortage

New Delhi: The Tamil Nadu government on Monday moved the Supreme Court for directions to the Centre to supply electricity to it meet its power deficit of over 4000 MW. The state in its petition has sought that the Centre be restrained from re-allocating the entire 1,721 MW power surrendered during the winter months by the National Capital Territory of Delhi to any other state.

The Tamil Nadu government has sought that the surrendered power be re-allocated to it to meet its acute power shortage. The petition filed through advocate B Balaji submitted that "due to inaction and failure of the Union of India to re-allocate the surplus power to Tamil Nadu, which is facing acute power shortage, Tamil Nadu has no other efficacious alternative remedy except to approach" the apex court.

The state has also sought directions to the Centre to provide dedicated or congestion free inter-state power transmission corridors to the southern region. It said the Tamil Nadu Electricity Generation and Distribution Corporation Ltd (TANGEDCO) had entered into year-long agreements with various states to purchase around 1,100 MW of power but due to congestion in the transmission corridor, the state was receiving only 85 MW of electricity.

"The Central government has not taken necessary measures and has not provided with adequate infrastructural facilities to ensure smooth inter-state transmission of power. The Central government has therefore failed in its statutory duty to provide for these facilities as mandated by the Electricity Act, 2003," the petition said.

The state has also stated that "people of Tamil Nadu are reeling under the massive power cuts going up to 12 hours every day. The industrial sector is subjected to 40 per cent demand and energy cut. The agricultural sector is the worst hit sector affecting food production".

The petition also submitted that the North, East, West and North-East regions, except the southern region are integrated into a Unified Grid (NEW grid) by which, there is a free flow of Electricity among these four regions. However, it said, the Southern Region consisting of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Pudhucherry are not connected to the NEW grid, due to which the southern states and more particularly the Tamil Nadu are not getting adequate power supply and have to depend primarily on the

electricity generated within the region.