Industry opposes 2-day power cuts

The industrial associations across Maharashtra have strongly opposed the Maharashtra State Electricty Distribution Company's (MSEDCL) decision to extend the number of days with power cuts in a week to two in industrial estates throughout the state.

The extension of power cuts may cause a loss of 16 per cent of the turnover of the industry across the state.

A sudden power cuts by MSEDCL on Sunday (February 11) without prior notice to industrialists or industrial associations caused heavy loss to Nashik industry to the tune of Rs 150 crore.

State industry bodies, including Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture (MCCIA) and Laghu Udyog Bharati (LUB), have opposed the decision.

Meanwhile, thousands of industrialists from Ambad and Satpur areas of Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), who gathered at Gareware point on NH-3 near Ambad here following sudden power cuts in Satpur, Ambad and Sinnar MIDC areas at 10 am on Sunday staged a 'rasta roko', paralysing the traffic for around three hours. To disperse the mob, the police lathicharged the industrialists, injuring some of them.

The industry bodies have expressed their grave concerns in this regard.

Presently, the gap between the demand and supply (availability) of power has reached upto 5,700 Mw in Maharashtra. This power demand-supply gap in Nashik zone, which includes five districts - Nashik, Ahmednagar, Jalgaon, Dhule and Nandurbar, has reached upto 1,100 Mw. In order to bridge this gap, the MSEDCL has not only extended Load Shedding hours in urban and rural areas of the state, but also extended staggering days by one-day to two-day a week in all industrial estates throughout the state, following directive of the Load Dispatch Centre.

Speaking to Business Standard, Hemant Rathi, President, MCCIA said, "The decision of MSEDCL to extend power cut from one day to two days a week in industrial areas throughout the state is unfortunate and it will badly affect the state's industrial development. This may cause loss of 16 per cent of the total turn over of the industry across the state. How will the industrialists run their industries without power "This will not only affect the new industrial investment coming into the state, but also the ongoing expansion of the existing industries."

Presently, the industry in Maharashtra is booming. In the last one and a half year, Maharashtra state government has signed the MoUs with the several auto and aviation companies for the fresh Rs 43,000 crore fresh investments in Maharashtra.

The companies, which have signed an MoU with the state government, include Mahindra & Mahindra (Rs. 2,000 core), General Motors (Rs 1,550 crore), Bajaj Group (Rs. 2,000 crore), Boeing (Rs. 1,250 crore) and Volkswagon (Rs. 2,000 crore).

Of the power consumed in Maharashtra, the industrial sector consumes 58.58 per cent, agriculture 5.72 per cent, domestic 21.82 per cent, commercial 5.56 per cent, Railways 3 per cent and streetlights and other municipal services around 1 per cent.

In Maharashtra, MSEDCL has 2,96,530 industrial consumers, 23,65,116 agricultural, 10,44,129 commercial and 1,00,87,873 domestic consumers.

While in Nashik zone, MSEDCL has 30,146 industrial consumers, 6,59,114 agricultural, 1,56,509 commercial and 14,51,174 domestic consumers.