Power crisis to continue for a month: Buddhadeb

As West Bengal spent another miserable day with temperature shooting up to 44 degrees Celsius compounded by long power cuts, the chief minister today said the ordeal would not last beyond another month.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said here that the frequency of power cuts would come down after another month or so.

"This situation has arisen after a couple of units of the Kolaghat and Bakreshewar power generating stations suffered break-down.

They are being repaired. We have to face hardship for the next one month," Bhattacharjee said after inaugurating an ITI at Habibpur here.

He said power situation remained dismal as the Kolaghat, Bakreshwar and Purulia Pump Storage facilities failed to generate power as per installed capacity.

On April 10, Power Minister Nirupam Sen also had said the power deficit would continue throughout April before any improvement could be envisaged.

Bhattacharjee said departments concerned were directed to make steady supply of drinking water throughout the state.

The heatwave like condition, which has been sweeping across the state for the last two days, became intense today with the mercury rising to 44 degrees in Purulia.

Kolkata recorded 41 degree Celsius which is five degrees above normal during this time, the Meteorological department said.

The heat spell would continue for a few more days.

Heatwave warnings had been issued for the next 24 hours for the districts of West Midnapore, Birbhum, Bankura, Purulia and Burdwan as well as isolated pockets of Murshidabad, Nadia, Howrah, Hoogly and Malda districts.