Haryana industrialists left in lurch as prolonged power cuts result in financial losses
Sumedha Sharma
Gurugram, July 7
Harassed by the unscheduled and prolonged power cuts, industrialists across the state have sought immediate intervention of the Haryana Government, saying the frequent outages often obstruct the manufacturing process, thus resulting in financial losses.
Rains might have caused temporary issues
There can be some scattered issues with some feeders, but there is no power deficit in any industrial area. The rains might have caused temporary problems, but we have resolved them well in time. If there is any industrial area which is facing major issues, we will look into the matter. PC Meena, MD, DHBVN
Led by the Haryana Chapter of NCR Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NCCI), the industrialists have raised concerns over the detrimental effects of long power cuts, which according to them, are leading to substantial financial losses and operational challenges in industrial hubs such as Gurugram, Faridabad and Panipat.
They claim that on an average, there is a power cut of six to eight hours daily, which is forcing them to switch to using diesel generator (DG) sets. NCCI president HP Yadav said the government’s tall claims of providing surplus power were yet to become a reality.
“The current power availability of 13,106 MW falls short of meeting the rising demand, which had reached up to 14,394 MW in the first half of June, marking a 23 per cent rise in the demand compared to the last year. The reliance on DG sets has significantly inflated the operational costs for the industries, rendering the products less competitive,” said Yadav.
In addition, the Commission for Air Quality Management is known for issuing seasonal bans on the DG sets in the NCR, urging industries to switch to natural gas. Unfortunately, the availability and distribution of natural gas remains inadequate.
“This situation not only caused severe financial strains, but also undermined the ability to effectively sustain operations,” a letter by the NCCI to CM Nayab Singh Saini read.
The industrialists from Gurugram claim to have been majorly hit as over 3,000 industries are dependent on archaic infrastructure.
“They often promise to resolve the power crisis, but nothing happens at the end of the day. Many areas are witnessing prolonged cuts up to eight hours. With monsoon round the corner, issues such as technical snags and faulty transformers further aggravate our problem. The pollution authorities don’t allow us to use DG sets and many areas have no provision for green fuel. Small-scale industries can’t afford green generators. Where do they go? Losses are high for the continuous process industries. We highlight our woes every few months, but these are never addressed,” said JN Mangla of Gurgaon Industrial Association.
