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Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao today said there would not be any power cuts to the industry in the state starting from May this year and expressed optimism the state would become power surplus by the end of 2017 with an installed 11,345-Mw thermal generation capacity.
“From May, there will be no industry power cuts. I am giving industry 100 per cent guarantee they can forget power cuts once we pass the summer season. I will also give you a toll free number to which you can call and ask me if there is a power cut from May,” the chief minister said here at the Confederation of Industry (CII) annual state-focused meeting on identifying new engines for driving industrial growth.
Rao, who began his inaugural address saying the frequent query he faced during his interactions with the industry titans was “what is the power availability in the state”, said the power generation in the next three years would go up a near three-fold to 11,345-Mw, from the existing 4,320-Mw.
A major capacity addition has been planned by public sector NTPC, coal miner Singareni Collieries Ltd (SCCL) and the Telangana State Generation Corporation (TSGenco).
The chief minister said with the improvement in power situation and a liberal industrial policy in place, the state could "surpass Gujarat in industrial development" and is "bound to become a smart city" soon.
Announcing the state has a huge land bank of two million hectares in government possession, he said they were considering setting up a huge electronics manufacturing park on the lines of Shenzen in China. The park, he said, would be a 15-minute drive from the international airport near here.
Besides, in a move to consolidate the state's position as the bulk drugs manufacturing destination, Rao said an integrated pharma city would be coming up here for which the state had already identified 11,000 hectares. Also, for the first time, he said, a dedicated pharma university would be set up here in collaboration with top drug manufacturers.
To make procedures for setting up industrial units easier, the chief minister said soon the government would assign a protocol officer to process applications and within 10 days all clearances would be handed over to the investors to start their unit. "We don't want entrepreneurs moving around government offices for approvals," he added.
