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• A significant section of the micro-industrial units in the city's defied the government and worked on Thursday, a power holiday for the industry in the region. Sector leaders claimed that 60% of the 30,000 units in and around Coimbatore worked to send a clear message to the government that the latter's power policy was a failure.However, senior officials at Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited (TANGEDCO) claimed the power holiday was complete and very few micro units worked and all other industries in the district were closed. High tension customers, read large manufacturers, followed the TANGEDCO schedule and stayed away from the protest. Industrial units are expected to remain closed voluntarily on the power holiday to enable the state to save electricity.

• J James, president, Tamil Nadu Association of Cottage and Tiny Enterprises, said the decision to run units on the day of the power holiday was taken at a meeting on Wednesday. The power holiday has not helped the industry and power cuts has continued for more than nine hours, he said. He said the industry was losing Rs 250 crore every day due to the power crisis. "We are ready to face the consequences and even fight it out in the court. If they fine us for operating the units on the power holiday day, we will not pay" James said."Why should we accept the power holiday when it is not helping industries?" asked A Viswanthan, proprietor of the Sree Swathi Engineering Works, a micro industrial unit at Odyarpalayam. "Power holidays were proposed expecting that it would bring some relief from the unscheduled power cuts. The government implemented the power holiday assuring that there would be only four hours of power cuts daily, but they didn't keep the assurance, he said.

• R D Nityanandan, who owns Sree Mahalaxmi Machine Tools which makes spares for compressors, said they were ready to face the consequences of defying the government dictate. For the past two weeks, all the industries followed the power holiday believing that there would be relief from the unscheduled cuts, but nothing has changed, he said."We are unable to pay wages to our labourers and banks are not ready to listen to our problems. Rent for the units is pending for many months now," he said.

• Unit owners said there were plenty of orders for various spare parts from automobile and textile industries. Units were earning at least Rs 40,000 every month, however this has fallen to Rs 15,000 and the orders have gone to the industries in north. If the trend continues, the units will have to be closed down, they said.

• However, A Thangavelu, chief engineer, TANGEDCO Coimbatore region, denied that the micro industries defied the power holiday. He said his officials were on the field to study the situation and except for very few units, almost all the units were closed. He added that industries found violating the order would be issued notice and fined as per the orders of Tamil Nadu Electricity Regulatory Commission.

• M Kandhaswami, president, Coimbatore District Small Industries Association, said the government has been petitioned to end the power holiday. "It has not helped in reducing the power cuts and nine hours of power continue to exist. We will not deviate from our promise, but the government keep its words and reduce the power cuts.Mahendra Ramdass, President, Tamil Nadu Electricity Consumers Association, an umbrella body of HT consumers, said all firms have been asked to abide by the government order. "We have to accept that the state has a serious power crisis. If the industry refuses to cooperate with government and start working on the power holiday, industry elsewhere would emulate the same and the situation would become much worse," he said.

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