After a painstakingly long 10-year wait, the Delhi Government has finally got the sanction from the Uttar Pradesh Government for erecting six power transmission towers on a land owned by the U.P. Irrigation Department. The step will pave the way for providing an alternative source of electricity to entire East Delhi.
Delhi Power Minister Haroon Yusuf said on Monday that it was due to the initiative taken by U.P. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav that this sanction has come through. “Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had raised the matter with him and he has obliged by allowing the installation of the six towers on land belonging to the U.P. Irrigation Department. We are thankful to him for this as the project envisages a back-feeding provision for East Delhi, as has already been provided for the rest of the Capital.”
Mr. Yusuf said the project is of immense importance as in the event of a major breakdown it would provide East Delhi with an alternative source of power. “The Delhi Government has paid the U.P. Government Rs.2.20 crore for the land on which the towers would be erected and the construction of the towers would be carried out by the Delhi Transmission Company. The installation will finish by February 2013,” the Minister said.
The spaces for the towers had been identified long back but since they were on U.P. land, the project took a long time to take off. Once they are installed, BSES Yamuna, which provides power to East Delhi, would get linked to the alternate supply system.
Mr. Yusuf said some bills issued after the recent power tariff hike, also reflecting a provisional cess for a 15-year period, was also discussed at a meeting on Monday. “We have asked the discoms to verify and rectify these bills as per the rules,” he said.
The Power Department, he said, has also asked the discoms to upgrade the systems ahead of the next summer since the demand in Delhi is expected to surge from a peak of 5,625 MW this season to nearly 6,500 MW in 2013 due to the increase in consumption expected in unauthorised colonies that are being regularised.
“In view of the higher forecast for demand next summer, we have asked the discoms to get all the work done related to installation and replacement of switchgears, panels and transformers as soon as possible,” he said.
