Power crisis part of bid to privatise power sector: Pinarayi Vijayan

The power crisis in the State is part of a covert political move to hand over the power sector to private players, Keralam’s Leader of the Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan said. Speaking after inaugurating a seminar on ‘Privatisation Policies of the Central-State Governments and the Power Crisis’, organised by the Kerala chapter of the Electricity Employees Federation of India, he said the country’s total power generation capacity was almost double of its peak demand.

At the same time, private monopolies control 60% of the country’s power generation, and the crises are being engineered to enable private firms to reap exorbitant profits, he alleged. In Keralam, despite receiving sufficient indications of the crisis as early as the first week of June, the government deliberately dragged its feet on the issue, he said.

The politics behind the crisis is no different in the State, where the crises are often engineered — particularly during UDF tenures — to undermine the credibility of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB), after which the private sector is presented as a saviour, he alleged. The government is now looking to favour the corporates seeking to gain control of the power sector, Mr. Vijayan said.

However, the State government should understand that privatisation cannot be implemented easily in Keralam, where strong resistance was mounted during the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government’s tenure, he said. The blame game over the power crisis by the Chief Minister and other Ministers was part of an attempt to mask their own incompetence and interests, he alleged.

Failed to adhere to norms

The Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission (KSERC) cancelled the long-term power purchase agreement because the UDF government led by Oommen Chandy had failed to adhere to established norms, and the responsibility for the current crisis lay entirely with the UDF, Mr. Vijayan said.

On the one hand, construction of the battery energy storage project is progressing slowly, while on the other, moves are underway to pave the way for corporates such as the Adani Group to gain a foothold in the sector, he alleged.

The UDF Minister has also spoken of establishing a nuclear power plant, a move that is linked to the NDA government’s legislation opening up the nuclear energy sector to private players. The recently passed SHANTI Act would pave the way for private players to enter the nuclear sector, he alleged. He also pointed out that the privatisation agenda initiated by the UPA government was now being aggressively pursued by the BJP-led government at the Centre. Former Power Minister A.K. Balan presided over the function.