Andhra Pradesh Minister Claims Credit for TD Generating Power From Waste

Vijayawada: Minister for energy Gottipati Ravi Kumar said the previous government collected tax from waste while the 2014 Telugu Desam government had generated power from it.

In reply to queries from members, the minister said the alliance government would turn AP power surplus again just as the previous TD government did during 2014-19. “We had initiated a series of power reforms during that term,” he said.

Naidu as CM had set up power plants at VTPS and Krishnapatnam in 2014-19 to generate 800mw of power but the YSRC government failed to utilize the power from these units properly, causing loss of Rs 4,000 crore, he alleged.

If the Polavaram hydro-electric power project was executed, it would have helped AP get additional 970mw of power. The Jagan-led government however failed to take it up in the name of “reverse tendering,” he said.

The minister said Naidu encouraged solar and wind energies that generated 6,500mw and 7,500mw of power respectively. “But, the YSRC government cancelled the Power Purchase Agreements. As a result there was no generation of even a single mega watt of power in the state,” he said.