Sri Vijaya Puram : The Calcutta High Court’s Circuit Bench in Sri Vijaya Puram has strongly rebuked the Andaman and Nicobar Administration over its handling of the islands’ prolonged power crisis, raising questions about the Lieutenant Governor’s decision to turn down an already-approved plan for additional diesel generators.
The court was hearing a petition filed by Indra Pal Singh, a local BJP leader, against the Union of India and others. On August 11, Justices Suvra Ghosh and Md. Shabbar Rashidi said they were “surprised” that the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) had approved the purchase of 15 MW of diesel generators in 2024 — 9 MW for Chatham Power House and 6 MW for Phoenix Bay Power House — but the Lieutenant Governor turned down the tender process and observed that the Administration should opt for Green Energy.
“This Court fails to understand under what authority the Lieutenant Governor turned down the process despite the same being approved by the Central Electricity Authority,” the judges observed, adding that it was expected the LG would take necessary steps for materialisation of the proposal in order to resolve the power crisis.
The islands have been grappling with frequent and prolonged outages for years, with many areas enduring scheduled and unscheduled load-shedding that disrupts daily life, education, and healthcare services. The remoteness of the territory, coupled with heavy reliance on ageing diesel generators, has made power generation vulnerable to breakdowns and delays in maintenance or replacement.
In recent months, the crisis has intensified, with residents and business owners reporting outages stretching for several hours a day. Tourism — a vital part of the local economy — has also been affected, as hotels, restaurants, and other establishments struggle to cope with erratic power supply. While renewable energy projects have been proposed, critics say these remain in the planning stage and are not positioned to meet the immediate needs of the population.
The Administration informed the court that a 10 MW diesel generator would be commissioned at Chatham in place of a decommissioned unit within the next three to four months, and that the current shortage of around 3 MW caused by breakdowns in existing DG sets would be met within a fortnight from hired power plants.
Describing the situation as one of “immense sufferance to the people at large,” the court directed the Administration to submit a comprehensive report, annexing relevant documents to indicate steps taken to resolve the shortage. The Director (Power) has been ordered to be present before the court at the next hearing to apprise the Bench of the latest status.
The matter will appear on the second day of the next available Circuit Bench
