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Powerless Delhi sweats it out I t is the same old story in the Capital this summer, Before the oneset of the hot months, the people are prom ised little breakdown and power cuts. But once, the month of May starts, people have to spend sleepless nights, kept awake by the irritating noise of generators. The excuses of the Delhi Vidyut Board are familiar—low generation, powerthefts, overloads due to indiscriminate use of air conditioners etc. etc. The question is if the Capital of the country cannot be assured of regular supply during the summer months, what about the fate of the neighbouring towns? But the concerned authorities have a different story. For instance, Minister for Power in Delhi, Ajay Makan claims that Delhi has more electricity than needed. The requirement is round 3200 MW and the availability is around 3400 MW Hence there were no plans to introduce any rotational load shedding. On almost every count the Delhi Vidyut Board has done better than the previous year he points out proudly. He refutes charges that the capital was going through scarcity of power calling them politically motivated. However, that still does not explain why large parts of the Capital have power-shedding during the day, in some areas lasting as much as five to eight hours. . There have been power riots in areas of South Delhi. Office workers are worst hit, as they find it tough to get up after spending the night in humid conditions. Two Delhi Vidyut Board employees, including a mechanic and an operator, were very badly heckled and thrashed by the agitated mob. Maken himself went out on a tour of the areas affected by load shedding and had to face the wrath of the people. The DVB website itself says that in the year 2000-01 load shedding was more than 800 million units. The per capita consumption of electricity in Delhi is around 1000 kilowatts hour (kWh), which is almost thrice the all-India average. According to DVB, the Indraprastha Power Station produces 247.5 MW, Rajghat Thermal Power Station produces 135.0 MW and the gas turbine plant produces 282MW. The Badarpur power plant produces around 500 MW. More than 1000 MW has to be bought from the Northern Grid. The DVB is itself in a precarious financial condition due to the billing system being in aeplorable condition, the operational losses and the power theft. According to the strategy paper "The billing system in the DVB is in an atrocious condition. " . Why is there a super jungle eaj in Delhi’s power sector? The T&D losses have increased from 22% in 1991-92 to around 50% currently. The jhuggi-jhonpari clusters have been blamed in the past for the losses but the fact is that a sizable bulk of the theft takes place in the posh colonies of Delhi. The households, Industries and commercial establishments bypass the meters and use extra load without payment or just tamper with the meter. This can be done on the payment of a small amount to the DVB employee or the local electrician. Consumers who live in electrified colonies do not come forward to take legal connections. The slum clusters and unauthorised colonies which cannot be given connections under the present legal framework even tap power directly from the mains. The DVB watches helplessly as of electricity takes place right under its nose. The strategy paper has plans to curb thefts and suggested measures to tackle with the problem. The consumers who can take the connection legally should be given the connection or a strict penalty should be imposed including disconnection. The process of giving connections should be simplified. Strict action should be taken against the people who tap electricity with the help of a hook. The DVB should have a dedicated police force. A list of theft-prone areas should be publicised by DVB. But it seems that the measures have not been strictly implemented. Delhi government has proposed more power plants. Pragati Power Project with a capacity of 330- 340 MW, one power plant at Bawana with 600 MW capacity. It is to be seen whether they are enough to ensure uninterrupted power in Delhi during the summer months. | |
S
Otik
Buying gold jewellery
will soon turn into a great experience with the opening of an
exclusive mall, Gold Souk, at Gurgaon. Fashioned on the pattern of
similar such complexes in Dubai and Sharjah, the state-of-the-art
building will house over 70 reputed jewellers. It will bring under
one roof, a rich and dazzling variety of gold ornaments from
different parts of the country. To ensure the customers get only
genuine pieces, only those selling hallmark quality will be allowed
to set up shop.The Ansal group is involved in the project, supported
by the World Gold Council, which will be completed in a period of 18
months. Located not far from the international airport, Gold Souk is
bound to be a boon for domestic buyers as well as foreign tourists
.