Free Power Will Continue: Dmk

The furore over the Central ordinance on the institution of power regulatory commission continued here yesterday with the state government asserting that it will not withdraw free power to farmers and AIADMK supremo Jayalalitha charging Chief Minister M Karunandhi with launching an anti-Centre propaganda on the issue.

Tamil Nadu electricity minister Arcot N Veeraswamy asserted in the Assembly that free power to the farm sector would not be withdrawn as long as the DMK was in power in the state, whatever the magnitude of the financial crisis.

The ordinance, which makes it mandatory for state governments to fully compensate state electricity boards for losses incurred in free power supply to farmers might lead to a financial crisis in the state, the minister said.

The ordinance stipulates that the state regulatory commission, if it considered necessary, might allow the farm sector to be charged at less than 50 per cent, but this cannot go on for more than three years.

Further, it lays down that any such concession should not affect the electricity boards finances, and that the boards should be fully compensated by the government.

Veeraswamy said that power subsidies in the state which stood at Rs 500 crore will go upto Rs 2,000 crore when the ordinance comes into effect.

The minister disputed AIADMK member R Thamarakkanis observation that the United Front government too had envisaged such a law. There was a wide difference between the UF governments draft bill and the ordinance issued by the BJP-led government, he said.

Intervening in the discussion Karunanidhi denied Union power minister P R Kumaraman-galams charge that the DMK government had concurred with a move in December 1996 by the Centre to withdraw free power to the farm sector. The Chief Minister said that state law minister Aladi Aruna had, in fact, vehemently opposed any move to withdraw the free supply scheme, which was then unique to Tamil Nadu.

Meanwhile, AIADMK supremo J Jayalalitha yesterday appealed to the Chief Minister to give up his cheap attempts at portraying that the Central government was against continuing free power supply to the farmers in the state.

Instead the Chief Minister should ensure that farmers get uninterrupted power supply to enable them to carry on their farming activities, she said.

There is a political motive behind Karunanidhis explanation that the ordinance was anti-farmer. In fact, Karunanidhi is trying to indulge in an anti-Centre propaganda, she alleged.

She said the Union power minister had made it clear on Tuesday that the supply of free power to farmers was well within the jurisdiction of concerned state governments.

The people of Tamil Nadu are not going to believe Karunanidhis attempts to side track the issue especially when none of the provisions of the ordinance is against the interests of Tamil Nadu farmers.

The AIADMKs ally, MDMK, too, joined in the row yesterday with its leader V Gopalasamy stating in Coimbatore that the Centre should have discussed with its allies before promulgating the power ordinance. He said he would raise the matter in the coming coordination committee meeting scheduled to be held at Delhi on tomorrow.