Power crisis hits industries in A P

                                 

ANDHRA PRADESH : A major industrial crisis is staring at Andhra Pradesh with the small and medium industrial units threatening a lock-out following the decision of the power utilities to force the industrial sector to observe, what is effectively, a 17-day power holiday in a month. This is in view of the decline in quality power crisis.

The power utilities have issued notices to about 1.61lakh small and micro industrial units effective February 29, that they should observe 2-days power holiday in a week along with the regular weekly off. Apart from this, they have been told that no power would be supplied between 6 pm and 10 pm everyday in the name of peak load adjustment. Along with the 12 days forced by the three-day a week power occlusion, the four-hour shutdown between 6 pm and 10 pm would translate into 120 hours of closure or another 5 days of holiday in a month. As a result, the industrial units can work for only 13 days in a month!

On Monday, representatives of 17 small and medium industrial units in and around Hyderabad served lock-out notices to joint labour commissioner Ravi Bhushan Rao stating that the power crisis and the holidays enforced on them is virtually sounding the death knell for them even as other units across the state prepared to follow suit. "We are forced to close for 17 days in a month. We cannot survive under these circumstances," said APK Reddy, president of small and medium industrial units association. Many other industrial units have decided to announce lay-offs so that they can save on salaries. "I will bring the issue to the notice of the state government as the power cuts issue does not fall under the purview of the labour department," Ravi Bhushan Rao told TOI.

Nearly 6,000 units located in and around Hyderabad have decided to go for 15-day lock-out in a month so that they need not pay full salary to the workers. Nearly 13 lakh workers are employed in these units and they are set to receive only half the monthly salary from March onwards. "With only half the month's salary, how does one wait the worker to survive in this metro city," asked a trade union leader in Miyapur industrial estate.

In all, 37 lakh workers are employed in the 1.61 lakh small and micro industrial units across the state. Thanks to the power crisis and the power holiday, the unemployment rate is set to drastically increase in the coming months due to the lock-outs and lay-offs. Industrial units in Chittoor, , Warangal, Karimnagar, Nizamabad Kadapa, Anantapur and Medak are also planning to go for lock-out in order to minimize their losses as the production in their units has come down to less than 50%.

"Normally, we take up extra production in January and February as there would not be any power cuts in these months. But because of the 17-day power holiday, we would not be able to meet the production targets this year," said a company owner in Jeedimetal industrial estate.

Even as many small and medium industrial units face closure due to the unprecedented power crisis, chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy is promising to provide 15 lakh jobs in the private sector during the next three years under Rajiv Yuva Kiranalu. "The state government is taking away jobs on the one hand and is promising jobs on the other. Isn't there a bigger irony," said one official.

Ironically, it is the political decision of free power to the agricultural sector that has triggered the power crisis in the state as the dole meant to keep the farmers happy accounts for 40% of the total power consumed in the state. "At present, we are not in a position to give any relief to the industrial sector as the Rabi season is at a crucial period. Any shortage of power to agriculture would adversely result in crop damage," said a senior energy department official.