Dark days for industry
The power crunch is taking its toll on industries in Maharashtra. The state government has ordered units in eight districts to shut down their operations during day time due to non-availability of adequate electricity. This decision could affect major companies such as Bajaj Auto, Telco, Kirloskar group and Kinetic group. These industries have been told to run their operations in only one shift, from midnight to 7 am. The origin of the crisis can be traced back to May 17 when electrical equipment was damaged during a storm in the Vidarbha region. Even though work to repair these structures is in progress, it will take time before normalcy can be restored. The affected districts are Pune, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Hingoli. Maharashtra faces a power shortage of 2,000 megawatts during peak demand which is tackled by cutting supply to consumers on a cyclical basis.