THE STATE cold storage owners are experiencing the real heat of the current summer. At least 1,050 small and big cold storage owners are purchasing, on an average, 16 litres of diesel to run the generators, for an hour, in the absence of power supply.
One third of state’s cold storages are located in Kanpur. Mahendra Swarup, president of the Cold Storage Association of UP, said that the Kanpur region was bearing the brunt of power crisis. The cold storages were not getting power supply even for a minimum of eight hours a day. “Last year, the rostering was for four hours in Kanpur. This year, it had just doubled,” Swarup said.
“Most storages in the State own 80 HP capacity generators for ensuring regular power supply which easily consumes 16 liters of diesel in an hour,” he said.
“It is not just the question of lack of consistent power supply but also its quality which is so inferior that most of the time the cold storage owners are grappling with low voltage problems. Any cold storage requires half an hour’s time to initiate a proper cooling process. By the time, the cooling reaches its peak, the rostering starts again,” Swarup said.
“How long can we survive on diesel generators to run our cold storages for eight hours a day? The State Government provides subsidy for setting up a new cold storage but it does not give a single penny to purchase diesel for generators which are required to maintain regular power supply every day,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“How long can we survive on diesel generators to run our cold storages for eight hours a day? The State Government provides subsidy for setting up a new cold storage but it does not give a single penny to purchase diesel for generators which are required to maintain regular power supply every day,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“The summer months are very important as eggs, potatoes, green chilies, apples, oranges and even grocery items, such as turmeric, are put in in cold storages. There are unannounced power cuts taking place in most parts of the State. The rising cost of diesel is posing a serious problem for the cold storages,” he added.
Out of the 84 government storages, only four are in operation. In the co-operative sector, there were 16 cold storages that are working, Swarup added.