The Hindu : Front Page : Massive new power cuts for Capital's citizens

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 06, 2006

Front Page

Front Page

Massive new power cuts for Capital's citizens

Staff Reporter

Long hours of load-shedding daily for markets and industry; must weekly holiday for markets to save power

THE OTHER CRISIS: Not just power but water too is in short supply in the Capital. Here's the scene on Friday. — PHOTO: ANU PUSHKARNA

NEW DELHI: Reviving memories of bad old Delhi Vidyut Board days and putting a new question mark over the much talked about power privatisation process in the Capital, the Delhi Government on Friday announced a series of severe power cuts aimed at curtailment in consumption to tide over the ongoing crisis.

Commercial and markets areas now face load-shedding for three-and-a-half hours every evening, while industrial areas will be subjected to five-and-a-half hours of power cuts. Government offices have been directed to stop use of air-conditioners after 6-30 p.m. Domestic consumers have been told not to use air-conditioners at home till 9 p.m.

Revoking its own earlier order of allowing markets and commercial complexes in the Capital to remain open for seven days a week, the Government now has issued directions that all markets take a mandatory one-day break during the week.

All these decisions were taken at a meeting of the Public Grievances Committee headed by Kalkaji MLA Subhash Chopra. Also present at the meeting were Delhi Power Minister Haroon Yusuf and Principal Secretary (Power) Rakesh Mehta. Mr. Chopra is understood to have stated that a daily report should be sought from the private power distribution companies on the supply and distribution of power. He said if the discoms were unable to supply power 24 hours to the consumers, they should be penalised.

According to Mr. Yusuf, apart from the regular load-shedding and power cuts, compulsory load-shedding would be carried out in markets from 7-30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Load-shedding in industrial areas will be done from 6-30 p.m. to midnight.

Mr. Yusuf said residents' welfare associations would be asked to educate domestic consumers to use air-conditioners at home only after 9 p.m.

At the same time, Mr. Yusuf declared that he had asked the private discoms to provide uninterrupted round-the-clock power supply to water treatment plants and pumping stations of the Delhi Jal Board so as to ensure that water distribution is not affected.

Stating that it was important for the people to conserve power and ensure that it was put to judicious use, Mr. Yusuf said an educational programme would be launched to promote large-scale saving of electricity through use of CFL electric appliances. The Power Minister informed that Delhi had entered into new power purchase arrangement with different producers to stabilise the system.

While the Dadri plant will start supplying 200 MW of power from May 16, Singrauli will begin supply of 57 MW from June 2, Rihand 68 MW from next week, and Tehri 60 MW from next month-end. In addition, 200 MW of power is expected from Himachal Pradesh next month.

Supreme Court steps in

PTI reports: With the Capital reeling under a severe power crisis, the Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre and the Delhi Government to explain what steps were being taken by them to enhance power generation and supply to meet the increased demand during the peak summer.

The Bench of Justice Ruma Pal and Justice A. K. Mathur asked them to file separate affidavits detailing the measures taken to improve the situation.

The Bench, which is monitoring the power crisis here since 1999, wondered if the Capital continued to be power-starved, ``how will we organise the Commonwealth Games in the year 2010 here?''

The Court observed that when it started monitoring the power crisis, Delhi did not have adequate power because it was exporting power. Thereafter, it was said that non-availability of power was due to electricity-theft and distribution losses. However, despite the power distribution system having been handed over to private companies, the situation had not improved, the Bench observed.

On behalf of the power distribution companies, senior counsel Aryam Sundaram submitted that his clients could not be blamed for the power crisis as they were supplying what was being made available to them by Delhi Transco.

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