Power cuts affect trade in Autonagar
Voltage fluctuations also take their toll.
Vijayawada: Despite huge publicity about providing 24 hours uninterrupted quality power in the state, power cuts and voltage fluctuations are tarnishing the image of Andhra Pradesh government. Frequent power interruptions and voltage fluctuations have become a big problem for industries at Jawahar Autonagar, which is one of the biggest industrial estates in the state. Though AP got surplus power after bifurcation was announced, it is unable to provide uninterrupted power supply. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had directed the officials to provide uninterrupted power supply with a motive of attracting industries to the state.
But power interruptions and voltage fluctuations are continuing in the industrial estates as well as residential areas due to the lack of monitoring from higher officials. Jawahar Autonagar, which is in the heart of Vijayawada, is seriously facing issues of high voltage and sudden power cuts for the last 10 days. As a result, industrial appliances are getting damaged in some industries.
“We are happy to read the Chief Minister’s statements on decreasing pow-er tariff soon. But all his assurances are not being implemented with the negligence of officials. High voltage and sudden power cuts have damaged machines in industries. Stabilisers and voltage regulators got crashed with sudden high voltage. Is this the real definition of quality power,” says B.V. Subba Rao, a furniture industry owner in the fourth lane.
“Officials of Andhra Pradesh Southern Power Distribution Corporation Limited (APSPDCL) at Autonagar power office are not looking into our complaints for the past 10 days. More than 40 industries have brought this to their notice but still power cuts and fluctuations are continuing. They are trying to escape in the name of sudden winds, but problem is continuing in normal conditions too,” says K. Srinivasa Rao, proprietor of an industry.
Meanwhile, officials of the APSPDCL said that sudden changes in temperature and power load have affected the supply. “Extreme weather conditions like sudden rains have affected power lines in Autonagar and we will rectify the problem,”says APSPDCL ADE (Pata-mata) Ramesh Babu.