Power hope for Barak districts

Silchar, May 26 : The chances of an early but partial end to the severe power crisis in the Barak valley districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi have brightened with Assam power minister Pradyut Bordoloi assuring newly elected Congress MP Sushmita Dev in New Delhi yesterday that his department would “sincerely” make an effort to import an additional quantum of electricity to Assam, particularly the Barak valley districts.

Bordoloi told Dev that this import of power, to be handled by private power dealers, would be in addition to the 100MW of electricity that the Assam Power Distribution Company Ltd (APDCL) has currently been importing.

He, however, did not specify how much power the company would be importing.

The Congress MP from Silchar told over phone last night that she met Bordoloi there and told him how the Barak valley people were now passing their days and nights in agony during the long hours of load-shedding.

The valley districts in south Assam have now been experiencing power cuts in the wake of maintenance being undertaken by the ONGCL and Tripura Power Corporation in the 326MW capacity natural gas-based thermal project in their plant at Palatana, which is expected to be over on June 2.

The APDCL has called an emergency meeting on Tuesday in Guwahati to discuss the power crisis in the state, especially in the Barak valley districts, according to sources.