The Hindu : New Delhi News : Power scene worsens

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 13, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Power scene worsens

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, DEC. 12. The power situation in the Capital seems to have deteriorated during the past fortnight with residents experiencing long hours of unscheduled loadshedding even as the mercury level continues to remain a few degrees above normal this winter.

While the privately managed discoms, BSES and NDPL, and the Delhi Transco put the blame for this unexpected crisis on frequency disturbances and shortage in availability of electricity from the Northern Grid, officials manning the Northern Regional Load Dispatch Centre argue otherwise.

Loaded with figures reflecting adequate availability of electricity and not much frequency disturbances this December, Northern Grid officials alleged that the private players still do not have control over local faults and have been unsuccessful in reducing theft and pilferage of power in their area.

"Being the National Capital, Delhi is always given top priority over all other States in the region. We have specific instructions from the Union Power Ministry that there should be no shortage of electricity," the official said.

Top officials in the Department of Power, Delhi Government, conceded that this time the problem was mainly because of "lack of co-ordination" among various power sector players, besides the "failure" of the private discoms to put their house in order even two and half years after the takeover.

Areas most affected by unscheduled loadshedding are almost the same as last year and same faults have been reoccurring in these colonies. In December, the worst hit areas were parts of Govindpuri, Kalkaji, Okhla, Lajpat Nagar, Greater Kailash, Madangiri, Tughlakabad, Mahipalpur, parts of R.K. Puram, Dwarka, Janakpuri, Uttam Nagar, Vikaspuri, Paschim Vihar, Rajinder Nagar, Gulabi Bagh, Karol Bagh and the entire Walled City area. Incidentally, in several of these areas, the BSES had recently either upgraded the system or installed new distribution system. "Every time, we complain of power cuts and deterioration in the situation, we are promised both by the Delhi Chief Minister, the Power Minister and the private discoms that the situation would improve the next season. We are still awaiting for the next season, when the situation would become normal," said Mukesh Khatri, a resident of Okhla in South Delhi.

Even in areas under North Delhi Power Limited, which were relatively better off compared with those under BSES, power cuts have become routine this winter. Colonies like Rohini and Pitampura, whose residents once said privatisation was a good move as it had improved the power situation, now complain that they at times they experience three-to four hours of power cuts. "The situation on the electricity front has deteriorated this winter. Daily I receive a large number of complaints from residents," said the local Councillor, Vijender Kumar Gupta.

The situation in the rural areas and unauthorised colonies of the Capital is far worse where the discoms disconnect electricity at will. The residents of these colonies have to remain at the mercy of the local discom officials to get regular electricity supply. For their part, the discom officials defend themselves claming that they have been instructed from the top to disconnect the supply as soon as the demand increases beyond a particular limit. "This is a precautionary step to save our infrastructure from collapse," the official said.

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