AGARTALA, June 6 (TIWN): Tripura’s endless saga of daily loadsheddings continue despite the tall claims of Power Minister Manik Dey and TSECL MD Shymal Roy. Tripura is suffering from acute power crisis as major cities like Udaipur, Kailashahar, Dharmanagar including capital Agartala reeling under severe loadsheddings from few hours to day long outages even though TSECL authorities confident about the claims of ‘Non-Stop’ power-supply across state. S K Roy, TSECL MD while talking to TIWN on Monday mentioned that although 101MW gas based NEEPCO Plant is presently undergoing shutdown (due to non-supply of ONGC gas), but it’s not affecting state’s power distribution. Asking about the severe load-sheddings across Tripura due to NEEPCO’s shutdown, S.K.Roy said, ‘There is not much load-shedding problem exists anymore in Tripura, although sometimes there are some load-shedding issues, but this has nothing to do with NEEPCO’s shut down. However he mentioned, 'If NEEPCO starts to function fully, then it will be good for Tripura no doubt about that, but there is no possibility that ONGC can provide Gas to NEEPCO before Oct /Nov 2016'.

TSECL MD's statement raises these obvious questions :

1. How TSECL MD knows that ONGC can not supply Gas to NEEPCO for another  3/ to 4 monthstill year end ? 

2. Was NEEPCO’s shut down is a planned screw-up by Tripura Power Ministry and ONGC ? 

3. ONGC is supplying Gas to other Plants like OTPC Palatana fully - so why stepmotherly attitude with NEEPCO ?  

4. Is it the huge uncleared bill of Rs 180.33 crores due from Tripura Govt. to NEEPCO, forcing Tripura Govt to start non-cooperation with NEEPCO ? 

5. Why Power Dept. doesn’t interfere in ONGC halting of gas distribution to NEEPCO ?

It’s worthy to mention here TSECL MD seems unmoved with Monarchak’s shut-down without an unknown reason. He said, “There is no sufficient Gas that ONGC can provide now to NEEPCO and it will take some time to re-supply”.

Tripura’s 101 MW gas based NEEPCO Monarchak power plant is undergoing an uncertain full shut down as ONGC has stopped regular gas supply, without informing NEEPCO project heads about the possible Gas-supply resumption.

Moreover, the step-motherly attitude of the state govt. NEEPCO is undergoing massive losses daily.

TIWN correspondent spoke with few businesses and homeowners in Udaipur, Amarpur and found that minimum load-sheddings over 5  to 10 hours is a daily occurance.

Agartala and other major cities are facing several hour-long load-shedding, even though TSECL MD S K Roy denied to have any problem in power supply across State.