K Chandrasekhar Rao indicated power cuts are likely after March 20

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s indication in the Legislative Council on Saturday that there may be power cuts either after March 20 or 25 has highlighted the possibility that the state will be sweating out the peak of summer.  Though officials did not openly come out with the quantum of load shedding, it is most likely that “official” power cuts will be for two hours, one hour between 6 am to 9:30 am and one hour in the evening, daily. Emergency Load Relief (ELR) will be decided and declared only two days in advance, a senior officer said.

While unscheduled load reliefs have been implemented in some pockets, officials said they were not cuts but “breakdowns”.  There was a power cut in Barkatpura on Sunday afternoon, and on March 12 and 13 at Banjara Hills, Secunderabad and Charminar divisions, according to the Southern distribution company (TSSPDCL). Across Telangana, there might be a shortage of up to 15 MU, sources said. Once harvesting starts after May 1, the situation may improve, they added.

According to a senior officer, power cuts may continue till the first week of May. While the Chief Minister had told legislators that the worst period would be over after April and there would be no power cuts in May, the official, on condition of anonymity, said, “It all depends on demand. If the temperatures do not come down, we may have to extend the load shedding. But in all likelihood, we will restore normalcy after the second week of May.”

Telangana is facing some shortage at present. According to load monitoring figures, it is down by 3.206 MU, which is nearly 200 mw. The state is buying a minimum of 5 MU to a maximum of 7 MU power from the southern power exchange daily to meet the shortage. This may go up in the coming weeks as the demand goes up. 

The temperatures have already crossed 35ºC and there may not be  any relief in the next six to seven weeks, which will increase the domestic consumption substantially.

Normally domestic consumption constitutes 30 per cent of the requirement while 30 per cent is commercial and 25 per cent industrial units (HT). The remaining 15 per cent is used by others, including railways, urban lighting etc. Meanwhile the government’s intensive campaign across the state not to sow paddy has had positive results and 34 per cent of the total paddy cultivable area has been left out by the ryots.