Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Singling out the power shortage situation in Maharashtra, prime minister Manmohan Singh today expressed concern that power shortages in the country still remain 8220;a constant constraint on our development and livelihoods8221;.
Addressing the national awards ceremony for power utilities, the PM said that it was 8220;a matter of deep concern8221; that less than half of the planned capacity for the Tenth Plan was actually materialising. Estimates for the Tenth plan ending 2007 add to around 41,000 mw of capacity during the five years.
Due to lack of addition in capacity over the years, the PM pointed out that despite having an overall capacity of close to 130,000 mw 8220;the demand for power has outstripped its supply8221; and even said that 8220;we cannot be satisfied with the status quo8221;.
Incidentally, around ten years back power utilities in Maharashtra were rated as the best in the entire country and therefore were seen as good destination for investments. The PM said that it was indeed 8220;regrettable that across the country power shortages in varying degrees still remains a constant constraint
on our development and
livelihoods8221;.
Calling for 8220;some introspection as to what has gone wrong8221; the PM said that 8220;it goes without saying that the performance of the power sector is extremely crucial for the overall performance of our economy8221;. Pointing at the Tenth plan achievements, the PM said 8220;we need to do better to ensure that electricity does not become a constraint on our economy8221;.
Reiterating the importance to cut down transmission and distribution losses in order to improve the financial viability of the sector, the PM added that 8220;high transmission and distribution losses and constant theft of electricity are unacceptable propositions8221; and that 8220;these need to be tackled truly on a war-footing8221;.
On a final note the PM said, 8220;I sincerely hope we can forge a broad national consensus on the challenges we face in this vital sector of our economy8221;.
