POWERING TELANGANA AHEAD FOR PAST 9 YEARS
KCR’s Administrative
Brilliance leads to turnaround in Power Sector
Vanam Jwala
Narsimha Rao
The Hans
India (23-07-2023)
(After
formation of Telangana, there has been a qualitative change and ‘Amazing Evolution
in Nine Years in Telangana Power Front,’ which the unhealthy and novice
critics are unable to comprehend astonishingly. Within 9 months of its
formation, Telangana became the first ever state in the country supplying 24
hours without power cuts to all sectors and 9 hours uninterrupted quality power
for agriculture. Power Plants with generating capacity
of 8085 Megawatts are under construction. The target of KCR is to make available 28000 plus Megawatts of power
production and convert Telangana as power surplus state shortly-Editor Hans
India observation).
Chief
Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, during the past nine plus years, accorded
topmost priority to Electricity Sector and as a result, Telangana now stands as
Role Model for the entire country. It is the only
State in the country that provides uninterrupted 24-hour quality power to all
sectors and 24-hour quality, free power to agriculture sector. Unaware of this exceptional progress, some
‘Self-styled Political Pundits,’ discourteously, in the recent
past, raised an issue of police firing that took place 13 years ago, in a bid
to connect it to CM KCR by indulging in unfair and offensive remarks.
Yet another
criticism that they strangely and unfairly made was that, 95 percent of farmers
in Telangana whose holdings are below three acres do not require 24 hours power
for agriculture. The corollary is that, leaders, and cadre of Bharat Rashtra
Samithi (BRS) are up in arms, and posed a pertinent question to the detractors,
that they should clarify, whether farmers need three hours power supply or power
to raise three crops! Critics are also unable to comprehend as to what precisely
happened 13 years ago, how it happened, why it happened, with whose involvement
did it happen and how the consequential developments led to a massive and
historical Separate Telangana Movement spearheaded by KCR culminating in
formation of Telangana State.
When Chandrababu
Naidu was CM of United AP, all of a sudden, he steeply enhanced ‘Power Tariff’
denying the benefit of subsidy enjoyed by farmers, since NT Rama Rao’s time. Taken
a back, farmers launched statewide agitation demanding reduction in tariff and
finally in August 2000 gave ‘March to Assembly’ call. Government
of the day, resorted to police firing on the protesters at Bashir Bagh, Hyderabad
killing three innocent farmers.
Heartbroken
KCR, then Deputy Speaker of State Legislative Assembly and a prominent leader
in TDP, following firing episode, Government’s indifference, and outrageous
behaviour towards Telangana farmers, addressed a letter to CM Chandrababu
expressing his unequivocal dissent. He pointed out that, entire Telangana
agriculture depended on electric motors for which power was vital and at a time
farming was in crisis and running in losses, enhancement of tariff was death
blow on them. Despite KCR’s caution not to test patience of farmers, Chandrababu’s
apathy to Telangana farmers continued.
KCR at that
stage decided not to continue further in Chandrababu Government and TDP. He
also decided that, until and unless separate Telangana state was formed, there
would be no end to the miseries of farmers, and instantaneously made up his
mind to launch movement by himself, being in the forefront. Indifference to
Telangana farmers, indiscriminate power tariff enhancement by united AP rulers,
and Bashir Bagh firing on agitators, were in a way, reasons that propelled second
phase of massive Separate Telangana Movement unabetted.
Unlike in all
other states, where Electricity has always been just one among many subjects, for
agrarian dependent Telangana farmer, it is most vital constituent. In united
AP, power distribution, power tariff, quality of power, dependability on power
were not only unscientific, but also discriminative in nature pushing agriculture
into deep crisis. Farmers’ suicides in large numbers were order of the day. After
formation of Telangana, there has been a qualitative change and ‘Amazing Evolution
in Nine Years in Telangana Power Front,’ which the unhealthy and novice
critics are unable to comprehend astonishingly.
Prior to
formation of Telangana, irrigation projects meant for Telangana were confined
to paper designs, canals were left uncompleted, and Kakatiya period Chain of Tanks
were grossly neglected. Hence Telangana farmer was left with no option except
to dig bore wells, numbering over 24 lakhs with huge burdensome investments incurring
debts and fitted with electric motors. In spite of this, adequate power supply
was nightmare. High-tension lines, sub-stations, transformers were dysfunctional,
resulting in frequent low voltage and burning of motors as well as crops dried
up.
Against this
background and context of untold misery, KCR formed TRS (Now BRS) with the
slogan of Separate Telangana State and promised to provide 24-hour quality free
power to farmer. This is contemporary history, better to be known to these
novice critics.
In 2004
Assembly Elections TRS contested in alliance with Congress Party that promised
free power supply to farmers. After Government formation, the (Namesake) free
power supply said to have been given to agriculture was only for a meagre
three-four hours during nights, that too, after industrial, commercial, and
domestic requirements were totally met. Hardships like low voltage, farmers’ deaths
due to electric shocks and snake bites remained unchanged. KCR during agitation
frequently mentioned about these hardships and gave a call to people to stand
by TRS for getting free, quality 24-hour power supply, as and when Telangana
was formed and TRS comes to power, and in the process established incredible
credibility among farmers.
On June 2,
2014 Telangana State was formed and KCR became Chief Minister. His topmost
priority was to overcome power crisis and shortage, effectively, efficiently, by
drawing short, mid, and long-term strategies, that included, buying required quantum
of deficit power from available states to bridge demand-supply gap. Initially,
Telangana entered into Power Purchase Agreement with Chhattisgarh to buy 1000 Megawatts
in November 2014 and later in September 2015 for additional 1000 Megawatts. Within
9 months of its formation, Telangana became the first ever state in the country
supplying 24 hours without power cuts to all sectors and 9 hours uninterrupted quality
power for agriculture.
KCR, always
a peasant supporter, in his pursuit to provide 24 hour free, quality power to
agriculture, as promised, gave roadmap to officials concerned, no matter the financial
burden, grid issues and any other connected problem. Telangana TRANSCO and GENCO
Chairman and Managing Director, Devulapalli Prabhakar Rao an experienced expert
in the field of power for over five-six decades, implemented directions and
thought process of CM KCR by making necessary technical, technological, and
other arrangements. New sub-stations, transformers, and lines were established.
Since January 1, 2018 Telangana became one and the only state in the country, to
provide 24-hour free quality power to agriculture and scripting an exceptional contemporary
history, for which CM KCR complemented Prabhakar Rao on different platforms.
At the time of
formation of Telangana, the installed power capacity was only 7778 Megawatts and
today it reached 18453 Megawatts. Construction of Yadadri Ultra Mega Thermal Power Plant of
4000 Megawatts is in final stages. Four units of Bhadradri Power Plant of 1,080
Megawatts, Kothagudem Power Plant of 800 Megawatts, and Jaipur Power Plant with
1200 Megawatts commenced power generation. Power Plants with generating
capacity of 8085 Megawatts are under construction. The target of KCR is to make available
28000 plus Megawatts of power production and convert Telangana as power surplus
state shortly. This shows ‘KCR’s Administrative Brilliance and Statesman Approach.’
What an ‘Astonishing Transformation!
In peak demand of 15497 Megawatts and in sanctioning agriculture pump
sets Telangana stands number one in the country. Per
Capita Consumption of Electricity which is an indicator of economic progress
has increased from 1356 units in 2014-15 to 2126 units in 2021-22, which is 69%
higher than National Average. In
Telangana, now no power cuts, no voltage problems, no burning of electric
motors, no agitations by farmers, and no power holidays to industries. Novice Critics
should understand this reality and should study facts before indulging in
unfair criticism, failing which, Newton’s Third Law of Motion may be applicable!
(The
writer is Chief Public Relations Officer to Chief Minister Telangana).
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