Association seeks reduction in power cut

COIMBATORE: The Southern India Mills’ Association has sought a reduction in power cut.

Association chairman K.V. Srinivasan has said in a release that the textile industry would prefer the 30-per cent power cut to the power holiday proposal since this would mean fewer hours of production lost.

Peak hour

He thanked the Minister for considering the industry’s plea for uninterrupted power during the night hours (10 p.m. to 6 a.m.). Besides the peak hour shutdown from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. every day, the industry faced disruption for two hours in the morning. This should be stopped with the relaxation of the power cut, he said.

Recommendation

He urged the Government to implement the recommendation of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission on the use of banked wind energy by the wind turbine operators in four equal instalments from January to April.

The textile sector had invested heavily in wind mills. The Government should consider the diesel oil captive generation model, suggested by the industry.

Mr. Srinivasan said if the machinery were stopped for two days a week it would take at least a shift to start operating them again.

Workforce

With the implementation of the 40 per cent power cut since November 1, a number of mills had downsized their workforce.

Now, if the proposed power holiday was implemented it would not be possible to bring back all the workers and keep them idle for two days a week, he said.