Election Commission rejects Maharashtra's plea to buy power
Monday, 23 March 2009
Times of India
it was learnt that the panel was upset because the government had not taken any such step earlier but was doing so just before the elections.
All of Maharashtra, barring Mumbai city, will face long hours of loadshedding every day as the Election Commission (EC) has refused to clear the state's decision to buy additional 1,500 MW from power utilities outside for Rs 600 crore. Confirming that the poll panel had turned down the state's request, power minister Sunil Tatkare said the government would hold a meeting to chalk out a strategy on meeting the power shortage.

Thane, Navi Mumbai, Mulund, Bhandup, Kalyan-Dombivli, Pune, Nagpur, Amravati and other major urban areas, which are implementing the "zero loadshedding" model by buying additional power from outside, will also face shortage due to this development.

Sources in Mantralaya said though the EC did not give any reason for refusing the proposal, it was learnt that the panel was upset because the government had not taken any such step earlier but was doing so just before the elections.

The state, facing a shortage of 4,500 MW, planned to spend more than Rs 600 crore (Rs 200 crore each for March, April and May) to buy additional 1,500 MW of power from utilities outside Maharashtra. This was expected to help meet the shortage in major cities, except Mumbai, where Reliance and Tata supplied power.

On behalf of the state, the Tata Power Trading Company (TPTC) buys power from distributors across the country and supplies the same to cities like Thane, Navi Mumbai and Pune on a daily basis to meet the shortfall and avoid long hours of loadshedding.

The state had planned to release Rs 200 crore for March to MSEDCL so that it could make payments to TPTC and other traders.