Tezpur, Sept. 6: The dismal power situation in and around the district headquarters here was discussed at a meeting of the North Assam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NACCI) with representatives of 20 non-governmental organisations of Sonitpur district.

The meeting observed that while the power requirements for Tezpur and adjoining areas are at least 30 MW, the Assam authorities make available less than half of the minimum power required. This has resulted in frequent power cuts for long durations, unscheduled load shedding and low voltage, which have particularly affected the students, hospitals and business establishments throughout the northern Assam districts.

NACCI president Madan Mohan Singh said the crash of an Indian Air Force jet at Depota sub-station of the ASEB near Tezpur has further worsened the situation. Though the ASEB has moved the IAF for compensation, the proposal is still pending with it. The jet crashed at Depota sub-station in August last year and a trainee pilot was killed in the mishap.

The NACCI president also said the industries, including neighbouring tea gardens and small-scale industrial units, which have come up in this region during the past few years, are barely managing to survive or are on the verge of closure. The ASEB had failed to supply power for up to 18 hours per day in certain vital areas.

NACCI has demanded augmentation of power transformers for Depota, Tezpur and Dolabari and installation of 31.5 MVA transformers on a priority basis, immediate replacement of existing old conductors of high tension and low tension lines and imposition of peak hour restrictions to ensure power supply to domestic and industrial consumers in the evening.

Earlier, the Tezpur unit of the All-Assam Students’ Union staged a dharna in front of Tezpur power station demanding regular supply of power to its consumers and regular publication of power cut notices to be scheduled by the ASEB.

S. Baishya, executive engineer of the Tezpur division of ASEB, told The Telegraph that at present the 31.5-MVA transformer at Depota sub-station was working up to the mark, but another transformer of 12.5 MVA remained idle due to technical problems. For this, continuous power supply to Tezpur was disrupted, sometimes up to three hours continuously.