Date:01/12/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/12/01/stories/2005120115200300.htm

Kerala - Alappuzha

Protest against severing power supply

Staff Reporter

ALAPPUZHA: The workers of Autokast Limited, a public sector company, at Cherthala staged a dharna on Tuesday demanding restoration of power to the factory by the KSEB. The KSEB had severed the power supply to the factory on Monday. CITU district secretary K. Prasad, who inaugurated the dharna, said the company had remitted nearly Rs. 1crore to the KSEB as power charge during the last six months. There was no point in cutting off the power supply in the name of arrears in power charges which the company has to pay. Mr. Prasad said the company had paid Rs. 26 lakhs as power charge to the KSEB during the last two months. Though the State Government was not providing aid to the factory, it was running well, he said.

Mr. Prasad added that while the KSEB has been giving power to many industries at Re. 1 per unit, it has been giving power to Autokast at the rate of Rs. 5 per unit. Mr. Prasad said the CITU would organise a protest if the power supply was not restored at the earliest. CITU district president V.S. Mony also spoke on the occasion.