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Faced with severe power shutdowns in the last decade, Maharashtrahas introduced a differential system of load shedding from April24, paving the way for uninterrupted electricity in those areasthat report less distribution and commercial losses. The decision taken in the State Cabinet after a heated discussion,in which Ministers from the Marathwada region opposed the move. Itwas overruled by Power Minister and Deputy Chief Minister AjitPawar, who said the policy would be to the State's advantage. According to Ram Dotonde, Chief General Manager, CorporateCommunications, Mahavitaran, the State Power Distribution Utility,there are 142 divisions in the State, of which 94 are load sheddingfree, and in the remaining areas, mostly in Marathwadaand Khandesh, there are up to 3 hours and 30 minutes to 7 hoursof power shutdown in urban areas, and 10 to 12 hours in ruralareas. Aurangabad division in Marathwada is the worst hit in terms of thispolicy, with 20 of its 23 divisions facing power shutdown. As a result, the Ministers from that area had opposed this move, tono avail. Poor Adivasi regions in Thane have no power all day,and get it after 10 p.m., when it is of little use. The State generates approximately 10,000 MW of power, and thedemand is 15,000 MW. The power utility has entered into long-term,short-term and medium-term power purchase agreements with privatecompanies, and also has increased supply from the central grid, Mr.Dotonde said. As a result, approximately 13,500 to 14,000 MW is available for theState, and the shortfall is approximately 1,000 MW or so. The State could buy power to meet the shortfall, but decidedagainst this, and instead introduced increased load shedding inplaces where people didn't pay up their power bills, and stolepower. In urban areas, where distribution and commercial losses are morethan 34 per cent, and in rural areas where losses are more than 37per cent, load shedding is enforced. Mr. Pawar's justification for this move is that there were severalamnesty schemes for power dues and connections were availablealmost instantly. There were many schemes, which people in parts ofthe State had taken advantage of, he felt. The decision topunish those areas with high losses was taken after dueconsideration, and after seeing their performance during theyears, official sources said. After the closure of Enron's Dabhol power plant in 2001,Maharashtra has been reeling under severe power shutdowns, since ithad no plans for increasing generation capacity. However, the Dabhol plant, with a capacity of 1,950 MW, was revivedby a joint venture company, the Ratnagiri Gas and Power PrivateLimited, led by NTPC and Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL), in2005. It now generates approximately 1,200 MW, and depending onliquefied natural gas (LNG) availability, this can go up to 1,600MW. Sometimes, the power generation can fall below 1,000 MW aswell. Since it's a mega power project, it sells approximately 5per cent of power to Goa, Mr. Dotonde said. However, of late, there have been issues with the supply of LNG. The implementation of feeders to separate domestic andagricultural consumption in rural areas had reduced the demand by2,000 to 3,000 MW, he explained. Earlier, industries had power staggering on one day, which has beenwithdrawn since February. Mahagenco has increased its generationin Parli (250 MW x 2), Paras (250 MW x 2), Khaparkheda (500 MW) andBhusawal (500 MW) power stations by 2,000 MW totally. In addition, by December this year, Khaparkheda and Bhusawal willincrease their capacity, by generating an additional 500 MW each. The State, through its various power purchase agreements with JSW,gets approximately 900 MW, approximately 475 MW from Adani, and1,000 MW from the central sector. Every day, Mahavitaran buys 300 million units of power, and paysRs. 2,500 crore to Rs. 2,800 crore a month. It loses Rs. 200 to Rs.300 crore every month from the areas which have high losses. The power distribution utility needs a revenue of Rs. 3,000 croreevery month, and collects approximately Rs. 2,800 crore on anaverage. I am an expert from swimmingpool-cleaner.com, while we provides the quality product, such as Snow Removal Tools Manufacturer , China Swimming Pool Cleaner, Automatic Swimming Pool Cleaner,and more.
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