Row over power cut continues
Sarthak Kanjilal
Port Blair, Mar 15: The row over power crisis of Andaman and Nicobar Islands is deepening day by day. After two contrasting press statements issued by Electricity Department and the Suryachakra Power Cooperation Ltd. in last two days, the Commissioner-cum-Secretary (Power), Mr. Jalaj Srivastava today told Andaman Sheekha that SPCL is totally responsible for these power cuts.
Mr. Srivastava added that the administration went out of its way to give SPCL Rs. 2.95 crore, after tsunami as those were emergency kind of situation but even after that SPCL did not repair the DG set, which they were supposed to do.
He said that he is open to share all records and files with general public and even open for a press conference in this regard. “Any journalist can come to me to know the facts or even they can ask information under RTI,” the Commissioner-cum-Secretary added.
When asked about the SPCL’s rejoinder released yesterday, which said that Administration had denied monitory help, the Commissioner-cum-Secretary added that all problems started because of the request for loan.
“All this problems started because of this Rs 5 crore loan. We are not defaulting even a single month a single day payment. Don’t ask loan if you have any other purpose or you have any claws, tell me. Every month an amount of 35 to 40 lakhs rupees is paid to the SPCL without any delay,” Mr. Srivastava added.
Giving some good news finally, the Commissioner-cum-Secretary said that the Administration had anticipated the problem.
“We have anticipated this problem that today or tomorrow SPCL will collapse completely, that is why in July last year we had ordered 5MW containerized DG set, and it was supposed to be delivered here on March 7, but unfortunately for some reasons it got delayed to March 27, 2012. We are also getting 15MW DG set extra for which the order was placed in October, November 2011. SPCL have 20MW capacity and if it gets collapsed some day, then we will have equal capacity” he added.
