Raman calls power war with Centre

Meanwhile, camping in Delhi after causing a flurry in Raipur last week, former CM Ajit Jogi promptly came to the rescue of the Congress president, blaming Raman Singh for the power crisis. ‘‘Every one knows, neither Sonia Gandhi nor Prime Minister has any role in the power allocations from the central pool. The Central Electricity Authority is the sole agency to decide such issues,’’ he said.

Singh, however, threatened to take the battle beyond the state, saying it was the Centre’s design on a BJP-ruled state. ‘‘Why did the UPA Government choose only Chhattisgarh to divert 90-MW power to Maharashtra and overlook West Bengal’s case? Today, WB is not only overdrawing 600 MW from the central pool but also selling it off to earn profits. It’s a conspiracy against the BJP-ruled state and an attempt to derail its development.’’

Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board (CSEB) chairman Rajeev Ranjan, meanwhile, convened a press conference to announce massive power cuts to tide over the crisis. ‘‘It’s an unprecedented situation. The Centre has compelled the board to resort to heavy load-shedding,’’ he said.

He claimed that the state was already spending Rs 75 to 80 crore every month on buying power from the Power Trading Corporation, Jindals and other private producers to meet the shortage.

Chhattisgarh has already lost 288 mw to Madhya Pradesh after the CEA found it to be power-surplus. ‘‘Surely, we were a power-surplus state in 2000 but not now, when the peak home demand has already increased to 2,100 mw against availability of 1,600 to 1,700 mw,’’ Rajeev Ranjan said.