From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
Bangalore, Jul 5: Karnataka Small Scale Industries Association (KASSIA) has expressed shock over State Energy Minister D K Shivakumar’s admission regarding the State Government’s inability to provide 24/7 power to residents and industries owing to a daily shortage of 1000 MW.
The Minister’s statement in the Legislative Assembly has come as a rude shock to the small scale industrial sector of the State, said C M Rajamane, KASSIA President.
The KASSIA chief said "continuing power crisis is going to put a question mark over the very survival of the eight lakh micro, small scale and medium enterprises in the State.
About 40 per cent of small scale industries (SSIs) are based in Bangalore and they will bear the major brunt of the power shortage, he said.
Noting that ''deteriorating power supply would hit the industry hard,” he said "the small scale industries would witness a dip in production which might lead to layoffs, shut-downs, and lockouts.
The industry has already been reeling under price rise and high inflation.
The State Government has been giving wrong signals to investors when it was planning to hold next edition of the Global Investors Meet, he said.
KASSIA urges Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to involve experts and political parties and arrive at immediate solutions to address the power shortage.
It appealed to ESCOMS to adopt scheduled power cuts and consult all industry/trade bodies before taking any decisions affecting the MSME sector.