Power staggering withdrawn after industry’s objections

Surat: The govt has withdrawn the recently introduced eight-hour weekly power staggering for industries, a decision that ends the requirement for scheduled power cuts on a fixed day each week. The rollback comes a week after the staggering plan was implemented and objections flooded in from industrial stakeholders across the region.

Officials of Dakshin Gujarat Vij Company Ltd (DGVCL) said they had received govt communication to discontinue the measure. A senior DGVCL official said, “Weekly staggering had been announced after considering multiple factors, but the latest instructions indicate it is no longer needed.

As a result, DGVCL will not enforce the 4pm to midnight staggering once a week which was announced earlier.”Under the earlier plan, factories were to face power staggering from 4pm to 12 midnight on one day every week. The schedule drew criticism from several industry segments, particularly because the 4pm to midnight window is widely considered a crucial production shift for many units.