9-minute power off on Sunday: Keep coolers, fans, A.C, fridge on, says Karnataka power agency

Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation has issued an advisory cautioning people against switching off all their electrical equipment and asked people to only switch off their lights during the 9-minute exercise on Sunday evening. People have been asked to keep all their electric appliances including refrigerator, a.c, cooler, and fans on during the exercise.

The advisory was issued to safeguard the electric grid of the state which could get crashed with sudden plunge in power demand, IE reported. The corporation has also issued instructions to local authorities to keep the street lights on during the exercise.

Maharashtra Energy Minister Nitin Raut and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor had raised concerns about possible damage to the power grid due to sudden drop and upsurge in power demand. On Friday, PM Narendra Modi had asked people to switch off all their lights to express solidarity with the healthcare workers who are battling Covid-19 from the forefront.

The advisory comes minutes after the Ministry of Power said that apprehensions about the damage to the power grid were misplaced. Maharashtra Minister Nitin Raut and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor were among those who had raised concern about the exercise.

Raut had also asked PM Modi to make a rethink about the announcement leading to scathing attack from the BJP. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor had also said that PM Modi had not factored in the possible damage to the electricity grid due to sudden fluctuations in the voltage.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor had raised concerns about the issue in a tweet from his official account. An unprecedented drop in the demand of power at 9 PM on Sunday and immediate surge after 9 minutes could cause the electricity grid to crash, Tharoor had tweeted.

He also added this was another thing PM Modi had not thought about before announcing to the nation. Along with his tweet, he had also appended an order issued by the Uttar Pradesh Power department instructing officials to take necessary measures to buffer the possible fluctuations to the power grid.