Date:07/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/07/stories/2008100750010100.htm

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Load shedding hits small scale units hard

R. Sairam

SSIs’ production paralysed
TNEB overdrawing from Central Grid

MADURAI: Industries, traders, private hospitals and residents in the city are irked over the spate of unannounced load shedding in the past few days.

According to J. Selvam, president, Kappalur Industrial Estate Manufacturers’ Association, till October 1, load shedding was confined to the scheduled five hours spread over a day.

However, on October 2 and 3, there was no power from 12.30 p.m. to 1.30 p.m. In the next two days, it was four hours in the morning, one hour more than the scheduled announcement. On Monday, he said, two hours of additional load shedding was resorted to from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. in the industrial area.

“This situation is posing immense difficulties as we fear we might not be able to meet production targets, especially when Deepavali is around,” he says. Mr. Selvam says that even two full days of “power holiday” a week is acceptable if uninterrupted power supply is assured during the remaining five days.

P. Sitaraman, an industrialist, says that on the one hand the industries are thinking about their survival while on the other workers have to be given Deepavali bonus.

The vice-president of Madurai District Tiny and Small Scale Industries Association, N. Somasundaram, is of the view that extra power cuts are “totally paralysing” production. As unforeseen expenses are skyrocketing, the State government has to intervene to ensure survival of small scale units, he said.

Residents are also complaining that power supply has become erratic and load shedding is occurring throughout the day and at odd hours in the night.

Based on a request from the Government Rajaji Hospital, the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board authorities have exempted the hospital from load shedding. Dean (in-charge) S.M. Sivakumar says that they have written to the government to ensure smooth power supply to their premises, following which there has been no power cut or load shedding.

“Variations in wind power generation is very unpredictable with the level being almost zero in the past few days,” Chief Engineer (Distribution) of Madurai region, TNEB, K. Balasubramanian, told The Hindu here on Monday.

In place of the permitted overdrawing levels of 150 MW from the Central Grid, the Madurai region was overdrawing by nearly 400 MW. Yet, he said, power shortage was persisting.