'Power cuts will force industrial units to cut output'

Industrial units in northern and western regions of the country will be forced to cut production by about 30 % in May and June over the same period last year due to power shortages, industry body Assocham today said.

"Units in states of Haryana, Punjab, Maharashtra and Rajasthan have complained that they will have to curtail their production by over 30 % due to constraints in power supplies," it said.

The average supply gap is likely to exceed 25% in the summer months in these states, it said.

"In the first half of April, majority of industrial firms in the region have curtailed their production by 18-20 %" the chamber said.

Assocham has urged the Power Ministry and Central Electricity Authority (CEA) to ensure that the transmission and distribution (T&D) losses are reduced significantly.

In the absence of major capacity addition, the T&D losses which remain as high as 50 % need to be tamed, it said. Power situation in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana is unlikely to improve in the near future, Assocham Secretary General D S Rawat said.