A lot of heat is being generated these days in Uttar Pradesh, thanks to chief minister Mayawati?s diktat that electricity connection to all industrial feeders of the state be disconnected every night from 10 pm to 6 am.

The eight-hour shutdown is not only costing the industry a whopping Rs 2,000 crore production loss every day, but has also left them feeling extremely neglected and disenchanted.

For the policy order, which has caused a lot of heartburn to the industry, has been passed ostensibly to fulfill the ruling establishment?s political agenda: to keep 15 cities free from power rostering in view of the holy month of Ramzan.

As the state is a severely power-starved state, it could do so only by disconnecting supply to some other customer.

?But that fact that the industry was the first choice of the government for this is ample proof that industry and industrialisation of the state is lowest on the state government?s priority list. This is despite the fact that we are one of the best customers of the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation (UPPCL) and also contribute substantially to the state government?s revenue collection. Being a channel partner, we contribute a lot to the state government?s VAT, excise and IT collections and our loss will mean that the government, too would get affected? said Mukesh Tandon, general secretary IIA.

Speaking to FE immediately after coming out of the meeting with UPPCL chairman Pradeep Shukla and MD Avnish Awasthi, Tandon said that he had apprised the officials of the grim situation facing the industry and said that this would not only affect the financial health of the industry and the government, but would also effect the supply of essential products.

?Production in plastic industry, tanneries, rolling mills, iron and steel mills and even in essential daily commodities such as milk and bread would be affected. Our delegation wanted to meet the energy minister, Ramveer Upadhyay too, and ask him to intervene and resolve the crisis, but he was unable to meet us,? said another member of the delegation that met the UPPCL officers today.

Already industrial production of the state is extremely low and now with industries being deprived of power at night, it is bound to suffer more. But officials of the UPPCL emphasise that this is a temporary step.