'Left In The Dark': Assam Congress Says Several Industries Shutting Down Operations Due To Power Crisis

Assam Power Crisis: Congress said the BJP-led Assam government had faltered in ensuring a stable and uninterrupted power supply. 

Frequent power cuts across Assam along with scorching heat have hit daily life in the state

Amid frequent power cuts across the state, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has hit out at the BJP government, saying different sectors of the society, including industries, have been severely affected. The power crisis have led to protests by various organisations and civilians across the state.

APCC secretary Gauravv Somani, in a press statement, said the citizens of Assam were left in the dark as the BJP-led Assam government had faltered in ensuring a stable and uninterrupted power supply. 

"The citizens of Assam are facing an unprecedented power crisis, with severe shortages and frequent outages plaguing the state, despite significant revenue generated by the Assam Power Distribution Corporation Limited (APDCL) through installations of digital metres," Somani said.

APDCL is the nodal agency responsible for power distribution in the state.

"Despite substantial investments in digital metering technology, which has significantly increased the government's revenue due to excessive billing, as alleged by the consumers, the BJP-led Assam government has faltered in ensuring a stable and uninterrupted power supply to the people of the state," the Congress leader further said.

The Congress said industries were bearing the brunt of these power shortages, leading to substantial losses. Somani alleged that several industries were unable to function at full capacity or were forced to shut down their operations, resulting in reduced productivity and job losses.

The scorching heat with the frequent power cuts have disrupted daily life, causing discomfort, caused health concerns and hindered essential services such as healthcare and education. The power shortage is particularly acute in rural areas, with loadshedding going on for days. 

"Assam's economy has also been adversely affected as businesses struggle to operate efficiently, which in turn affects job stability and economic growth," the statement further said.

The Assam Congress demanded that as the people of Assam continue to face the consequences of the power crisis, the government should take immediate action to address these issues with transparency in fund allocation, infrastructure development and a commitment in providing uninterrupted power supply.

Assam Saw Steep Increase In Power Demand This Year: CM Himanta Sarma

Earlier this week, addressing a press conference, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the state registered a steep increase in peak hour-power demand in 2023, PTI reported.

"From being at 1,800 mw till last year, it touched 2,500 mw this year," Sarma said. "We have power availability of 1,650 MW from our own sources and tied-up arrangements. A shortage of 100-200 mw can be adjusted by procuring from the open source at Rs 10 per unit," the CM further said.

However, Sarma said if the government bought additional power from open source, it would be forced to increase the power tariff by Rs 1 per unit.