Petrol price of Rupees 7.50/Litre.

Petrol woes in Vijayawada yesterday night after the Union Government has announced an increase in petrol price of Rupees 7.50/Litre.
Mad rush at Petrol stations yesterday 

People thronged to petrol bunks all over the city to fill in their petrol tanks before yesterdays mid-night, after which the hiked prices come into effect.

Autonagar in action as power cuts lifted

After eight months of prolonged struggle entrepreneurs of small scale industries, traders and workers heaved a sigh of relief with the lifting of power holiday in the industrial area, Autonagar.

Nearly one lakh people eke out their livelihood in the Jawahar Industrial Autonagar.

Due to the impact of Sakala Janula Samme launched in September 2011 for separate Telangana statehood power production and supply was badly affected in the state. Coal production was halted disrupting power production.

Consequently, the APTransco implemented power holiday for three days from Sunday to Tues-day in the Autonagar, Vija-yawada from September, 2011. Entrepreneurs of small scale industries, workers and traders suffered huge loss due to decline in production and trading activity. Workers lost their earnings due to the power crisis.

The government lifted power holiday on May 3 to small scale industries, traders and domestic services. Industrial production is gradually limping back to normalcy in the Autonagar during the last few days, said Mr G. Satyanarayana, proprietor of KS Steels. He said thousands of workers migrated to Tamil Nadu from Autonagar to Chennai due to power crisis and hoped the restoration of power supply to six days a week could help recover from the losses.

Vehicular body-building units, small scale industries producing footwear, steel materials, utensils and other products provide livelihood to several thousand people in the Auto-nagar. Md Khader, a senior technician, said he lost income of more than Rs.1 lakh due to irregular functioning of workshop.

Now, the APSPDCL is supplying power six days a week from Monday to Saturday to the small scale industries, body-building units and shops in Autongar are gradually restoring the activity. T. Jagadiswara Rao, a technician, said the Autonagar is famous for body-building units in the state and it can restore its activity to help the automobile industry.

Autonagar Technicians Association secretary Mr Khalik has hailed the decision of the government and hoped the power supply will continue as usual.

Power cuts trouble Vijayawada consumers

Power consumers suffered heavily with the break down of power supply from 1 pm for nearly five to six hours in several parts in the district.

As the temperature touched 42 degrees Celsius, left with no alternative, people were forced to remain indoors in the unbearable sultry conditions. The power cut is likely to be continued for some more days until the restoration of normal power generation.

The Southern Power Distribution Company of AP limited (SPDCL) superintending engineer, operation circle, Mr B. Mohana Krishna, said that they were forced to switch off power supply for more than four hours in the afternoon with sudden drop of nearly 1000 mw power supply due to 500 mw unit breakdown at Simhadri power plant and breakdown of some 300 mw gas-based power units.

The power consumption in Krishna district stands at 110 lakh units per day. The officials are cutting power supply to agricultural operations and some other sections to cope with the present power shortage in the state.

Meanwhile, children and old people suffered heavily due to power cut in the afternoon. Parents had a tough time to prevent children from coming out of their houses as the temperature touched 42 degrees Celsius and heat wave continued till evening. A resident of Satyanarayana-puram Mr Kameswara Rao expressed concern over sudden power cut during peak summer season said that the SPDCL officials lifted power cut recently and started imposing power cut again during peak summer season. He said people were left with no alternative except to go for inverters.

CPM city secretary Mr Ch. Babu Rao said that the party would launch direct agitation from May 20 demanding solution to the problems of power consumers. He said the state government without increasing the power generation was imposing additional burden on common man by increasing power charges. He said the government has been imposing additional burden of Rs.470 crore on power consumers. He said that the CPM would organise dharna at sub-stations.