8-hour power supply in villages from Sept.

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, JUNE 3. The Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd. (KPTCL) will provide uninterrupted ``three-phase'' power supply for eight hours in all villages by September, Mr. V. P. Baligar, Chairman and Managing Director, KPTCL, said here on Sunday.

Mr. Baligar was speaking after inaugurating the 38th General Meeting of the Karnataka Electricity Board Engineers' Association (KEBEA). He said the KPTCL was so far able to provide uninterrupted power supply for eight hours to nearly 76 per cent of the villages in the State. The remaining villages would also get this by the end of September.

In his Budget speech this year, the Chief Minister, Mr. S. M. Krishna, announced that all villages would get uninterrupted three-phase power supply for eight hours from May 1.

``The KPTCL's financial condition is much better now. The commercial loss has been reduced by 20 per cent, and a revenue of Rs. 407 crores was mobilised in May. This is a record,'' Mr. Baligar said.

Stating that reforms were necessary in the power sector, he said the corporation was striving to provide better service to consumers. But, some people, especially environmentalists, were not cooperating with the KPTCL in implementing new schemes. The progress of the work on many new projects was slow due to opposition from farmers and others.

Citing the example of the 220-kv Power Transmission Station Project in Kolar, he said the work on it should have been underway by now. But the farmers had approached the court against the project. He said the work on the Tumkur-Nelamangala 200-kv power station had also been affected. The KPTCL was initiating all measures to ensure that the people of Belthangady, Puttur and Sullia in Dakshina Kannada District did not face acute power shortage.

He took strong exception to blaming the KPTCL for erratic power supply everytime. ``Even if there is a snag in the Raichur Thermal Power Station (RTPS) or the Sharavathi Power Generating Station, people criticise the KPTCL,'' he said. The corporation was criticised even if the streetlights maintained by the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) did not function.

Referring to the increasing power pilferage, he said that cases of power theft were on the rise in Tumkur and Kolar districts as farmers were installing ``illegal'' irrigation pumpsets. Recently, the Department of Geology had identified many areas where power theft was rampant.

Mr. Baligar said the civic bodies in Kolar District alone had to pay Rs. 60 crores as arrears to the KPTCL. ``The commercial loss is huge as people are not paying power charges. The civic bodies at the taluk and district levels should cooperate with the KPTCL in providing better services.''

Earlier, members of the KEBEA submitted a memorandum to Mr. Baligar seeking recruitment of over 1,000 assistant engineers (AEs) within three months.

Mr. Baligar assured them that 18 AEs would be deputed to the KPTCL from the NGEF, Mysore Lamps and other public sector units. Besides, the KPTCL was also ready to hire the services of retired engineers of the corporation, he said. The Government would earmark over Rs. 250 crores for paying pension to the employees. If this was not received on time, the KPTCL would allocate funds, he added.

Mr. S. Shivamallu, Director (Transmission), KPTCL, the Director (Finance), Mr. P.Ravikumar, the Director (Personal and IT), Mr. Sanjeev Kumar, and the KEBEA President, Mr. K.C.Naikwadi, were present.

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