Ravi Rules Out System Failure in Durga Temple Power Disruption
“The outage occurred solely due to a lack of coordination between officials. I have directed senior officers to submit an immediate report, and action will be taken against those found responsible,” Ravi Kumar said, assuring that corrective steps were being put in place to prevent recurrence.
Vijayawada: Energy minister Gottipati Ravi Kumar on Tuesday said the brief power disruption at the Kanaka Durga Temple in Vijayawada was caused by a coordination lapse among officials, and not due to any systemic failure. He termed attempts to politicise the incident as “unfortunate” and reiterated that the coalition government accords the highest priority to devotees’ sentiments.
Addressing the media at the TDP central office in Mangalagiri, the minister said electricity supply to the hill shrine was interrupted for about 15 minutes and was restored on a war footing immediately after the issue was brought to his notice. He added that a review meeting was held with officials from the Endowments and Energy departments to ascertain the reasons behind the disruption.
“The outage occurred solely due to a lack of coordination between officials. I have directed senior officers to submit an immediate report, and action will be taken against those found responsible,” Ravi Kumar said, assuring that corrective steps were being put in place to prevent recurrence.
He said a follow-up review meeting would be held on January 6 and 7, under the leadership of Endowments Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy, with the temple executive officer and key officials to strengthen coordination mechanisms. Cautioning against drawing political mileage from what he described as a “minor, rectified error”, the minister criticised YSR Congress Party leaders for politicising the issue. “Justice to all faiths will be ensured under this government,” he said.
Separately, Ravi Kumar welcomed the merger of the Addanki and Kandukur Assembly segments with Prakasam district, stating that the decision reflected public aspirations and corrected anomalies created during the previous government’s district reorganisation. He said the move honoured an assurance given by Nara Lokesh during his padayatra.
Recalling a long-pending demand since 2012 for an Addanki Revenue Division, the minister said it had finally been realised under the coalition government. He expressed gratitude to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Nara Lokesh, Revenue Minister Anagani Satya Prasad, and the Cabinet sub-committee for facilitating the decision.
