From having a demand of just 2 MW in 1905, power consumption in Delhi has now crossed the 5,500 MW mark. In fact, the power scenario in the Capital is full of ironies. The amount of electricity that was used by the whole city over a century ago is now used by a single shopping mall. And Delhi is one such city where power outages occur even when there is no 'shortage' of power.
Heat in the month of June, according to Met department, is going to be worse and experts have predicted the power demand to shoot up to 6,300-6,400 MW. The city can supply power to the tune of 6,500 MW, yet dwellers face frequent power outages ranging from one to four hours even though the demand has reached just 5465 MW.
Power minister Satyendra Jain has blamed it on the inadequate and inefficient distribution network. “We have conveyed stern messages to the discoms that no form of unscheduled power cuts would be tolerated. The DERC is yet to respond to our letter in which we have requested it to impose fines on discoms on a daily basis instead of the existing monthly basis,” said Mr Jain.
The situation is grim also because of poor maintenance of transmission lines and other infrastructure which is directly controlled by the Delhi Transco Limited (DTL). The chinks in the preparedness of the transmission utility were exposed in the massive storm that hit the city on May 30 last year causing significant damage to the transmission lines.
The three discoms – BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL), BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) and Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL) state that outages occur due to unauthorized constructions and power theft.
“There is no place for installing and laying new infrastructure in areas where there are encroachments. Residents don’t allow erection of new poles in front of their flats and also don’t provide any space for installation of new transformers. Taking advantage of the ground conditions, many residents, even those who have metered connections, indulge in power theft. This creates a lot of pressure on our running lines,” explained a discom official.
