In Keralam, a weak monsoon, rising power demand & cancelled agreements

The UDF government faces criticism amid a severe power crisis, exacerbated by reduced rainfall and soaring consumption.

Over the last two weeks, the Keralam State Electricity Board (KSEB) has enforced multiple power cuts in the evenings and nights due to a severe power crisis in the state, leading the four-month-old UDF government to come under attack from the Opposition and sections of the public.

The power cuts, ranging from 15 to 30 minutes at a time, have badly affected life, especially in households with infants and sick members, hospitals and old-age homes, and incited public anger against the administration.

Chief minister VD Satheesan, at a press briefing in the state capital on Wednesday, said the crisis is expected to be brought under control within a week as the government is holding talks with several states and suppliers to purchase power at reasonable tariffs. KSEB chairman MG Rajamanickam flew to Delhi on Wednesday evening to hold talks with the chairman of Nuclear Power Corporation of India, hoping to sign agreements to purchase power to tide over the crisis. Notably, Kerala is the outlier among the southern states to face such a stinging power crisis, with other states possessing the generating capacity to meet their demands.

The CM has promised that the State would formulate a revised power policy and prepare a plan to ensure adequate supply of power from October 1.