Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan on Wednesday indicated that unnecessary use of electricity in the state would be restricted due to shortage of power.
"We will take a cautious decision in the next cabinet meeting over where power can be saved or use can be restricted," Chavan said after reviewing the power situation in the state at a cabinet meeting. Chavan has asked the secretary concerned to come up with a plan on saving power against unnecessary consumption of electricity and also define areas where consumption is more than required.
"We have assured people that the state would be load-shedding free by 2012," Chavan said. To meet the promise, private energy can also be bought, he added. Conceding that the state has a shortfall of 5,000 to 5,500 MW of power, the Chief Minister said power consumption was also high due to hot climate.
There are new projects in the offing but environmental clearance and land acquisition are needed for them, he said.
