M A I N   N E W S

Restore power to Haryana, Adani Co told
Naveen S Garewal
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 2
The Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) on Wednesday directed a Gautam Adani firm to restore and maintain the 1,424 MW power supply to Haryana without interruption.

The poll-bound state has been reeling under an acute electricity crisis since August 27 after Adani Power snapped the supply citing some contract problems. The APTEL order has come as a big relief for Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress government, which was facing flak from the Opposition for the dismal power scenario in the state. The order will not only improve the overall power situation but also blunt the Opposition attack.

A Division Bench of Justice M Karpaga Vinayagam (chairperson) and Rakesh Nath (technical member) ruled that the company did not inform the tribunal about their plan to cut the power supply to the state. “The balance of convenience is therefore totally in favour of directing the generation and supply of electricity to Haryana Utilities against the contracted capacity of 1,424 MW in the larger public interest rather than allowing Adani Power to keep the generating units 7, 8 and 9 idle,” said the Bench.

The Bench observed in its order that generating companies such as Adani Power which are involved in supplying electricity to public utilities can’t be allowed in a regulatory jurisdiction to jeopardise the entire scheme pending a hearing in the tribunal.

The Congress had alleged political conspiracy behind the Adani firm’s move to snap power supply to Haryana. The party claimed that since Adani was close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, his company had “deliberately cut power to harm the ruling regime in the state.”

Hooda had asked Modi to intervene and resolve the crisis.

Haryana’s power suppliers Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam and Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam had filed an appeal seeking directions to Adani Power to restore supply to the state.

The shortage of coal had made matters worse for the state government as thermal units could not boost power generation.