23 Hrs power supply for Bangalore city - assures CM

Believe this only if you're an incorrigible optimist - from Wednesday, Bangalore will get 23 hours of uninterrupted power every day; other cities/towns for 22 hours. We're now so used to constant outages that we're ready to clutch at any promise.

This assurance came from none other than chief minister B S Yeddyurappa himself, at the assembly on Tuesday. In rural areas, it'll be 6 hours of power through three phase, 6 hours through single phase and uninterrupted power supply from 7 pm to 11 pm.

Maintaining that his government is focusing on power production rather than procurement, Yeddyurappa, who also holds the energy portfolio, said demand for power has gone up by 35% in the past five years, but there's been marginal increase in production. "Every year, demand has been rising by 8% to 9%,'' he said.

On Monday, opposition leader Siddaramaiah sought a government explanation on erratic power supply in the state, particularly in Bangalore.

Presenting facts on the power situation, the CM said the government last year purchased power worth over Rs 3,000 crore and will purchase nearly 1,000 MW this month at a cost of Rs 500 crore. This is expected to meet the power needs till August. He said the losses faced by government-run power supply companies has reduced from 26.49% in 2004-05 to 20.67% in 2008-09.

When his government assumed power in May 2008, the coal stock available in Raichur thermal power station was only for two days, he said. "The power shortage is not our contribution, but a gift presented by the previous government. Today, we have coal stock for one month,'' Yeddyurappa took a jibe at JD(S) floor leader H D Revanna, the energy minister in the JD(S)-BJP coalition government.

Setting a production target of over 5,000 MW, Yeddyurappa said tenders have been floated inviting companies to participate in various power projects altogether capable of producing nearly 5,900 MW power with availability of 109 million units in next 3-4 years