Hope concerns of power grids are taken care of, says Priyanka Gandhi 

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed the people to switch off the lights of their homes and light a "diya" or candle on Sunday at 9 p.m. for nine minutes, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Saturday said that the concerns of power grids be taken care of so that there was no obstruction in the power supply.

Priyanka Gandhi, who is the party in charge of the eastern Uttar Pradesh, in a tweet said, "While the country is expressing solidarity in the war against Corona, it is expected that the power grids and engineers' concerns are also being taken care of by the Central government. So that there is no obstruction in the power supply during the crisis and in times of need."

She also attached a news report which said that switching off the lights at the same time across the country can lead to power grid failures and chances of blackout could arise.

Her party leader and Maharashtra Energy Minister Nitin Raut in a statement on Friday expressed fear that switching off the lights simultaneously for nine minutes could lead to a multi-state grid collapse and result in blackout in the entire country. In his statement, Raut appealed to the people to keep the necessary lights on at home while igniting lamps and candles on April 5, as asked by Modi, to avoid this situation.

"Switching off the electricity at one time can reduce the electricity demand. If all lights are switched off at one time for nine minutes there is possibility of a grid collapse resulting in blackout in the entire country," Raut said.

"Due to the lockdown, there is a change in the demand and supply situation. If there is a sudden drop or increase in the demand or supply in the grid, there could be disturbance in the grid frequency," he said.

"Considering the possible situation, citizens and all the electricity generation, distribution and transmission companies should take required precautions," he said.

"If the electricity is switched off together, all power stations can go on high frequency and there is possibility of grid tripping. If all power stations are shut, there can be multi-state grid failure," the minister added.