Unit-2 of Udupi Power Plant: Plot in the making?

UDUPI: The statement by Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda that he has directed Unit-2 of UPCL to start generating power is shocking.The company seems to have played their cards far better than the government is able to administer the state.The state has far greater generating capacity than it needs.Instead of generating enough power from the state-owned units, asking the private generator who is condemned by the public to start the unauthorised unit clearly shows lack of administrative acumen.The fully installed capacity at Raichur has hardly been functional for a long time.Since the forest clearance for UPCL transmission lines was denied, 3-4 of the units were shut down.The state utilities seem to be staring at slow death, while corrupt politicians and bureaucrats are making hay.According to Balakrishna Shetty, executive president of Nandikur Jana Jagruthi Samithi, the KPCL units seem to be always on the edge of running out of coal stock and this situation is questionable.Is it due to the state failure to pay for the coal on time? Is it due to the incapability of the officials at KPCL? Or is the artificial power shortage the result of sabotage to get green signal for UPCL? Whatever may be the truth, the people of Udupi are due to eat more ash and incur higher health expenditure after losing their livelihood.The CM is fully aware of the sufferings of the people in the villages surrounding UPCL.The government has not done anything even to provide drinking water to the villagers.A number of people are now suffering from asthma and skin related sicknesses.The famous flower crop of ‘Mangaluru Mallige’ which was grown by large number of women and kept themselves self-employed in the area is now burnt out by the combination of salt and acidic attacks.Who is this government working for? This has been an area where farmers’ suicides remained unknown. Is the government waiting to count dead bodies? The government in Bangalore can’t sacrifice the people of Udupi for the luxury of a few.Therefore it is necessary that UPCL shuts down permanently.ADEQUATE COAL STOCK IN STATE: CMHubli: CM D V Sadananda Gowda has stated that the second unit of Udupi Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) would be commissioned to address the power crises in the state.Speaking to reporters at the Hubli airport, before heading to Belgaum to inspect the developmental works of Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, the CM refuted the reports of limited stocks of coal in the state.Gowda said although there was disruption in supply of coal from the Central stockyard due to the Telengana issue, there isn’t any alarming situation in the state, as far as stock of coal is concerned.Gowda, who had accused of the Centre of discrimination in supply to the state seemed soft and said that politics should not be involved into the issue.“The state has a 1,250 MW share from the Central grid.However, we have been receiving less supply,” the CM said.Moreover, thought there was power availability from Chhattisgarh, lack of proper infrastructure in transmission have added to the power crises, he said.He said a delegation from the state would meet Union Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal in New Delhi on October 14 and urge him for additional supply of coal from Nagpur and Mahanadi to mitigate the situation