Industrial units to get info on planned power cuts a month in advance

LUCKNOW: Industrial units in Uttar Pradesh will now get prior information on power supply disruptions that may be caused to them due to a planned activity on their feeders.

UP Power Corporation Ltd (UPPC) chairman and principal secretary, energy, Alok Kumar issued directions to the engineers in this regard here on Wednesday. In a letter written to all the discoms, he said that the industrial units concerned must be informed a month in advance about a power shutdown using various means of communications, such as newspapers, WhatsApp, email etc. “No laxity will be tolerated in this regard,” he warned.

Industries, he said, were a major source of revenue for the discoms and power disruptions to them must be avoided or they be informed in advance when resorting to a power shutdown was necessary for maintenance purpose etc.

Welcoming the UPPCL’s decision not to buy expensive electricity, the state’s power engineers have demanded that the corporation cancel all the power purchase MoUs signed with the private companies.

In a statement, UP Rajya Vidyut Abhiyanta Sangh general secretary Rajiv Kumar on Wednesday said the private companies were exploiting the UPPCL by selling electricity at a very high price due to faulty agreements with them.

He also demanded an audit of all the private generating and distribution companies within three months and said the Karchhana power house be handed over the Utpadan Nigam. “All the energy corporation should be integrated too,” he demanded.