In an encouraging sign that economic activities are returning to normal in the state, the power consumption of the industries has crossed the prelock mark. Energy Minister Shrikant Sharma told TOI on Saturday that all his apprehensions about the resumption of industrial activities had vanished when he saw the consumption figures three days before the start of phase 1 of the unlocking process on Monday.
“Before lockdown started in March the average industrial demand and consumption was around 8.63 million units and on June 5, it has already crossed 9.61 million units, confirming that the industrial activities have peaked,” he told TOI after a programme at the CM’s residence for unveiling of power infra projects to the tune of Rs 3,135 crore on Saturday.
“The normalisation of industrial activities with adequate supply of power would fulfill chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s promise of providing employment to migrants and those already working in the state,” The Minister claimed that adding the corona crisis would be used as an opportunity to turn human resources into human dividends, and the power sector would play a vital role.
Sharma said that adequate supplies to the urban as well as rural, industrial and commercial sectors could be made possible because the government focused on strengthening the power infrastructure. “Apart from the launch of 28 transmission substations on Saturday-,in the past three years, similar projects of Rs 8,500 crore had already been completed. It means that since 2017, the expenditure on only power infra projects has crossed Rs 13,000 crore,” he minister said.
The new substations would be linked from now on to feeders themselves in order to control transmission and distribution losses and then reduce them to an average of 15%, Sharma said, claiming that its scheme to categorize feeders in the red, orange and green zones was for the same purpose.
The state government was working fast on the Saubhagya programs and electrification of 1,75 lakh hamlets, Sharma said, adding that all 62,000 villages in the state had been electrified and 100 per cent electrification of hamlets would also be achieved in the next few months.
“No governments in the past have achieved in their five year term what the Yogi government has done in just three years,” he reiterated.
