KCR gives reply to Justice Narasimha Reddy’s Commission

Hyderabad: The issue of power purchase in Telangana is causing a lot of controversy. The Congress government had recently ordered an inquiry into the power purchase issue. It is known that the Justice Narasimha Reddy Commission has been constituted to probe the matter.

In the order, Justice Narasimha Reddy sought an explanation regarding the purchase of power in Chhattisgarh as well as the purchase of Yadadri and Bhadradri thermal plants. The Commission also issued notices to the former chief minister and BRS party chief KCR.

The notice sought an explanation from KCR by June 15. On Saturday, KCR gave an explanation to the Justice Narasimha Reddy Commission. He said he had gone ahead with the purchase of power and construction of power projects by following all kinds of laws and regulations.

“We have gone ahead with Central and State clearances,” he said. He wondered whether the Revanth Reddy government not even aware that commissions should not be imposed on the judgments passed by the ERC institutions?

He said it was against taking charge without suggesting to the government that the commission was illegal. He alleged that the commission of inquiry was set up with political vendetta. He wrote a 12-page letter to the commission in this regard.

According to the details mentioned in KCR’s letter, in the early years of the formation of the State, there was a huge power crisis. “This is a well-known fact. Before the formation of Telangana State, not a single sector was able to run properly due to the worst power sector. Power holidays and power cuts in the State have created difficulties in united Andhra Pradesh.

There were power cuts for three hours in the morning and three hours in the evening in the villages. It became very difficult to get a three-phase current. In order to overcome this, 53.89 per cent of the act has been allocated to Telangana and 46.1 per cent to Andhra Pradesh as per the Act and thus to use electricity for 10 years.

In violation of the bifurcation act, the then government did not supply electricity to Telangana, causing a deficit of 2,400 MW, including 1,500 MW and 900 MW due to non-availability of gas-based power supply,” he said.

In his letter, KCR said that there was a severe crisis in the power sector in Telangana due to the shortage of 5,000 MW.          

“When the state was formed, the power sector was in a difficult situation. Due to lack of electricity, lakhs of agricultural pumpsets have been burnt down. A power holiday has been declared for a few days every week in the industrial sector.

According to the bifurcation act, the electricity given to Telangana was not enough. We have taken constructive steps to strengthen the power distribution system in Telangana. All kinds of approvals have been obtained and progress has been made.

The commission was set up to defame him and the then government with political vendetta. Everyone knows that our government has given electricity with a significant change. The government’s efforts are to downplay our change. At a press conference, the Commission spoke at will.

Inquiry is a sacred responsibility. We have to act as an intermediary between the two parties and prove the truth. All aspects should be thoroughly examined, and decisions should be disclosed,” he said and asked Narasimha Reddy to step down from the post of the chairman of the commission as it an illegal.