Govt making all efforts to purchase power: minister

The BJP government in Karnataka has been making all efforts to purchase power from available sources including Gujarat and Chhattisgarh to tide over the shortage, state minister for energy K S Eswarappa said today.

In the last two-and-a half months, the government has expended Rs 1,335 crore on power purchase from various sources, he told reporters here. The state, which has been getting 200 Mw from Jindal plant is expected to get another 200 Mw by next month as the firm is commissioning its second unit,he said. The daily demand for power has surged to 142 million units as against the supply of 133.3 million units, he said.

Karnataka has been witnessing unscheduled load shedding since about a month in the wake of shortage of power, and the opposition Congress and JD(S) are likely to focus on this issue against the ruling party in the Lok Sabha polls.