Cabinet heat on Ajit Pawar over electricity crisis

Even his party colleagues did not spare deputy chief and power minister Ajit Pawar over the power shortage issue across the state. State cabinet on Wednesday cornered the minister over the power shortage and attacks on the officers and the offices of the electricity department.

Pawar's party colleague Jayant Patil, RR Patil and even Congress minister held him and his department responsible for the power shortfall.

Home minister RR Patil said that had the department pre-empted the trouble and made adequate provision of the coal, the shortage could have been avoided. "The government should have taken adequate precautions in the view of the Telangana protests in Andhra Pradesh," he said.

Rural development department minister Jayant Patil suggested the government to issue advertisements to portray the reality.
Chief Minister Prithvira Chavan later told mediapersons that the power shortage was a national crisis and people should cooperate with the administration.

"The crisis is due to the shortage of coal because of the agitation in Andhra Pradesh and floods in Orissa. We have been getting 2 rakes of the coal against the demand of 13. Because of this the shortfall went up by 4,000  MW," he said.

He said that he has been in constant touch with the Union ministers and the issue will soon be sorted out.