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Vidarbha fumes, this time due to power cuts

With mercury hovering around the 45 degrees Celsius mark, a strong wave of public unrest over power cuts threatens to explode in Vidarbha.

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NAGPUR: With mercury hovering around the 45 degrees Celsius mark, a strong wave of public unrest over unprecedented power cuts threatens to explode in Vidarbha.

Superintending engineers of almost all the zones in the region have apprised the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) bosses of the situation that might result in wide spread violence and protests. A top officer here told DNA they’re now updating the bosses in Mumbai of not just the power situation but also the mood of public on the ground.

Two days ago, protestors broke into an MSEDCL office in Yavatmal, on Sunday an angry mob smashed another office in Navsari in the Amravati district, and damaged official property. “This summer promises to be a nightmare for us,” admitted a top officer of MSEDCL. “The situation is very delicate; public anger is understandable.” he added. And if reports from various parts of the region are any indication, the unrest among the people will soon spill over if steps were not taken to ease load shedding in rural and semi-urban areas.

Every day, rural areas are going without power for 15-17 hours. Small towns go without power for seven to nine hours while major cities are suffering scheduled load shedding of between four and six hours - unprecedented for Maharashtra. The peak hour shortfall has crossed a phenomenal 6000 MW. The total demand of power on Monday crossed 15000 MW, up from an average 13,500 MW till a week ago.

Just two days ago, the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Authority (MERC) decided to spare Mumbai a 15-minute power cut. “That,” says a top official in MSEDCL, “means two hours of extra load shedding in Maharashtra villages.”

The MERC, which is to hear this matter on April 12, has admitted that the current load shedding schedule exceeds its own protocol issued on February 20, 2007, for the entire state, save Mumbai.

Ironically, 4000 MW or about 40 per cent of the total installed capacity of Maharashtra is generated in Vidarbha.

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