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Our Correspondent

Madurai, Oct. 12 Small industry associations throughout Tamil Nadu have decided to hold a ‘Protest Day’ on October 22, against extending the duration of power cuts announced by the Government. They would observe a fast in the respective district headquarters wearing black badges and their units will be closed for the day.

Announcing to reports the decisions taken at a meeting of the industry associations from the southern districts, held here on Saturday, Mr P.T. Krishnamoorthy, President, Madurai District Tiny and Small Scale Industries Association, said that the Government, by an announcement, has extended the duration of power cuts from 6 ½ hours to 9 ½ hours a day.

The sector has been severely affected by the power cut already in force and the extension would cripple them, putting their very survival at stake. The continuous process industries and those in rural areas have been hit hard. Staggered supply of power has severely affected production schedules and the future appeared bleak for them, he said.

Mr K.R. Gnanasambandan, Vice-President, Tamilnadu Tiny and Small Scale Industries Association, said that the Government should come out with a white paper on the situation. There is no transparency in the explanations offered by the government for the mess in which the State has been landed.

The Government should initiate measures on a war footing to operate the non-functioning thermal stations in the State and appeal to the central government to allot the entire power generated at Neyveli and Kalpakkam to the State for some time at least to retrieve the situation, he said.

He appealed to the State government to ensure uninterrupted power supply for at least five days in a week, instead of a staggered supply every day. The small industries should be given 50 per cent subsidy in the purchase of generators for running the units and enable unhindered supply of diesel through District Industries Centres.

A bail-out package providing a moratorium in the payment of dues to the banks should be adopted for two years and payment of interest for the duration of power cut in force should be waived. The government should do away with the penalty imposed with respect to the maintenance of ‘power factor’ in the units as that would be difficult to maintain with repeated power cuts in force, he added.

More Stories on : Power | SSI | Tamil Nadu

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