The former Chief Minister and new ad hoc State president of the JD(S) H.D. Kumaraswamy on Saturday alleged that although there is ample scope for power generation from various sources in the State, the Congress government was creating an “artificial shortage” to purchase power from private companies.
Addressing presspersons here, Mr. Kumaraswamy alleged that the State government had been “trying to collect commission by purchasing electricity from private companies to fund the elections of five State Assmblies and the Lok Sabha.”
‘Did not take precaution’
“It is true that hydropower generation has decreased due to lack of rainfall in the State. However, sufficient power can be generated from other sources. If the government had taken precautions from the time it came to power, it could have stockpiled enough coal. However, the government neglected power generation with the malicious intention of getting commission through power purchases from private companies. The government has committed to provide funds to its high command and is doing so accordingly,” he alleged.
“Even in the current drought situation, 16,867.63 megawatts of electricity can be generated in the State. As the water storage in reservoirs is not as expected, they can generate at least half of the usual quantity of hydroelectricity. The government, however, is not making any effort to generate power as it is only interested in its guarantee schemes,” he alleged. “Their greed of mobilising commission amount through power purchase is not letting them focus on power generation,” he alleged.
‘Similar situation elsewhere’
Stating that the Congress is looking at expanding the “guarantee” model in the whole country, Mr. Kumaraswamy said other States would also face a similar situation in the coming days.
“The Chief Minister, who recently held a meeting pertaining to the Energy Department, said there is a shortfall of 15,000 megawatts in the State and power will be purchased to overcome the shortage. He has blamed the previous government for the shortfall. What did this government do in the last five months?” Mr. Kumaraswamy asked.
CM hits back
Reacting to allegations by Mr. Kumaraswamy that the government was creating an “artificial power shortage” and using it as an excuse to buy power from private players and get kickbacks in the process, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in a message on X (formerly Twitter) listed measures taken by the government to tide over the situation. He said that deficient rainfall had led to hydel power shortage, while demand had surged and the government had put in place a series of measures, including buying power from other States, restarting thermal plants, and augmenting renewable energy generation.
