Recalling Vijay’s campaign against the previous DMK govt’s power purchases from the open market, Senthilbalaji questioned the TVK govt’s current procurement policy
CHENNAI: Former electricity minister V Senthilbalaji on Tuesday accused the C Joseph Vijay-led govt of failing to anticipate Tamil Nadu’s power demand and plan generation accordingly.
During the campaign, electricity minister C T R Nirmalkumar had demanded the resignation of the then govt over power purchases at Rs 20 per unit, he said. Despite demand rising by more than 4,300 MW over five years, the govt had ensured adequate supply through better planning, he said, crediting then chief minister M K Stalin’s administration.
“What will the electricity minister say now?” he asked. Senthilbalaji said the previous DMK govt held regular meetings with officials to assess demand and floated tenders in November and December for the peak-demand months, including May. Advance planning helped it bridge supply gaps at lower prices, he said. Pointing to power cuts during ministers’ programmes, convocation ceremonies and even at the Secretariat, Senthilbalaji said outages had become frequent across the state. “This govt has institutionalised power cuts,” he said.
Recalling Vijay’s campaign against the previous DMK govt’s power purchases from the open market, Senthilbalaji questioned the TVK govt’s current procurement policy. People were protesting daily, including in the chief minister’s Perambur constituency, he claimed.