The CM stated that 24x7 power was his top priority, and urged industrialists to use the abundant opportunities in the resource-rich and sunrise State.
The Andhra Pradesh Government aims to make the State the best destination for industrial investments with successful & effective implementation of 24x7 power supply, and a long-term and perfect plan to handle all existing & prospective industries including Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME), which would in turn pave the way for employment generation and overall economic development.
The tremendous response received for Andhra Pradesh at the CII Summit at Benguluru and the India Economic Summit at New Delhi revealed that the State had now become a preferred destination for investments, and that national & international firms were showing keen interest in investing in IT, automobiles, electronic hardware, agro-based industries, petrochemical plats, chemical plants, pharmaceutical plants, energy etc. because of the belief that the government would be able to provide water, infrastructure and in particular 24x7 power for industries, said Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu.
During the interaction before leaving for his Kadapa tour with officials on the impact of 24x7 power supply and opportunities for new industries, the Chief Minister, while responding to the briefing on the clearing of pending HT & industrial applications, said, "No industry should suffer for want of power in future, and 24x7 supply should be maintained at any cost. We will not tolerate even 24 minutes of interruption in power supply for any industry, small or big."
He suggested to the power utilities that they go in for underground cables in major cities & towns in place of overhead lines, to reduce power interruptions and inconvenience to the people.
Responding to the apprisal that HT applications with an estimated load of 1,400 MW in the Southern Power Distribution Company of AP Limited (APSPDCL) & Eastern Power Distribution Company of AP Limited (APEPDCL) were under examination, Naidu suggested that officials clear all the pending applications immediately, even procuring additional power if necessary.
The Chief Minister assured industrial organizations like CII, FICCI and FAPCCI that providing 24x7 power to industries was his topmost priority, and requested them to play a proactive role by giving suggestions and feedback to the government for encouraging industrial harmony and creating more employment opportunities. Power holidays were history, and 24x7 high-quality power to industries was his commitment, he said.
G. Sai Prasad, Secretary to CM, informed the Chief Minister, that huge losses were incurred by industrial sector in the past due to the industrial power holidays to the extent of 3 days per week which has hampered the production worth of Rs.25,000 Crs during 2013-14.
As part of its efforts towards providing 24x7 power to the domestic & industrial sectors, the Government of AP had recently entered Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) worth over Rs. 80,000 crores, with the MoP, GoI, NTPC, Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL) for setting up a 4,000 MW Super Critical Ultra Mega Power Project at Pudimadaka in the Vishakhapatnam district and 2,500 MW of Ultra Mega Solar Power Projects, and for promoting renewable energy, implementing Energy Efficiency & Conservation Programmes.
Naidu assured a technology- & industry-friendly atmosphere with all the facilities needed including 24x7 power & adequate water, and urged all prospective industrialists to utilize the abundant opportunities available in this resource-rich and sunrise State, which was having a coastline of around 1,000 KM and 13 major/minor ports for easy import and export of raw material & finished products.
These were all set to transform the State into the eastern gateway of India, and an investment hub in the country, the Chief Minister said. (INN)