CM Jayalalithaa made TN power surplus: Power minister P Thangamani

Chennai: Refuting the Opposition charge that the state’s performance was not up to the mark, power minister P. Thangamani asserted that Tamil Nadu has became a leading state in several sectors in the country and the efforts of Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa had made the state power surplus.

Asserting that the state achieved a major milestone in emerging power surplus, he said TN was producing 4,454 MW power additionally, thanks to CM’s efforts. “Due to her initiatives the State has become power surplus. As the electricity generation has increased, the CM has allowed private power producers to export surplus power,” he told the Assembly on Wednesday.

Speaking on the motion of thanks to the governor for his address to the Assembly, Congress legislature party leader K.R. Ramasamy while claiming that unemployment was on the rise in the state and that the GDP of 10-13  per cent is low, sarcastically remarked that he couldn't understand on what basis Tamil Nadu has become a leading state. “How many farmers have been given power connections,” he asked.

Intervening, Mr Thangamani said TN is a leading state in automobile, spinning mills, tourism, MICE, sectors and a majority of Japanese companies were located in the state. Industrial development and other initiatives triggered direct and indirect employment and the textile mills in Tiruppur were able to step up their exports. His reply was disrupted on several occasions as the DMK members sought clarification his statement.

But the Speaker and O. Panneerselvam insisted that their queries would be answered only after Thangamani completes his reply.