Hyderabad: If Telangana kept the lights on even when demand shot past 17,000 megawatts this March, credit’s due to the folks on the ground working like one tight-knit family—right from linemen to CMDs. That’s how Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka put it on Monday night at Praja Bhavan, during an interaction with SPDCL’s Operations and Maintenance staff from South Telangana.
Not just token praise either. Bhatti said he wants that sense of “we’re all one” to show up in the uniforms too. Literally. A single design, common to all, from the lowest ranks to top brass—planned in collaboration with NIFT. Uniforms that speak unity.
Plenty of applause went around for power staff who, he said, silenced critics claiming Congress would bring blackouts. When demand peaked at 17,162 MW in March, not a flicker—round-the-clock, uninterrupted supply. “That’s a slap in the face to those who spread that nonsense,” he said.
The event was also attended by government whip Adi Srinivas, Energy Secretary Sandeep Kumar Sultania, SPDCL CMD Musharraf Farooqui, and TRANSCO CMD Krishna Bhaskar.
Bhatti didn’t hold back on recognition. “We took decisions, yes. But you all made them real—on the ground, honestly and with full dedication. That’s why we’re here today,” he said. Decisions aren’t made in some closed cabinet, he claimed. “This government discusses everything, with everyone.”
He promised fast responses on staff issues. Said he’s personally available if anything can’t be solved through management. Long-pending promotions? Already sorted. Thousands got theirs soon after Congress took office.
From thermal to solar to hydel—Bhatti said the state is chasing every possible path to become power-surplus, with MoUs signed with Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. On clean energy, Telangana’s already moving with a new policy in place. “We’ll not only meet our needs—we’ll sell to other states too,” he said.
Talks also touched on power requirements for the future—especially with the boom in IT and data centres. Infrastructure spending is up, with projects like the Regional Ring Road and Musi revival, and Telangana is positioning itself among the fastest-growing states.
