Switching off the power glutIJ
The Delhi Government-owned transmission utility and not the private discoms are to be blamed for the ongoing power crisis in the national Capital. Ironically, the city can supply power to the tune of 6,000 MW, yet dwellers are facing frequent power outages ranging from two to six hours. The grim situation is because of poor maintenance of transmission lines and other infrastructure which is directly controlled by the Delhi Transco limited (DTl) and not because of any power shortage in the city, opine senior Government officials and power experts. Further, the chinks in the preparedness of the transmission utility were exposed in the massive storm that hit the city on May 30 causing significant damage to the transmission lines, which are yet to be fixed.
Even Delhi’s power regulator, the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC), said the fault was on the part of the Delhi Transco and it was not a case of inadequate power supply. The commission however said that it was keeping a close watch on the situation wherein it would take action against any defaulting private distribution company if the need arises. “The discoms are prepared to meet power demand even up to 6,000 MW. The current power outages are due to the faults in transmission lines. These lines get overloaded and trip, resulting in power cuts. The problem has been detected by the lieutenant Governor (l-G) and that is why temporary arrangements for power conservation have been made,” said PD Sudhakar, Chairman, DERC. On Sunday, Delhi l-G Najeeb Jung had called an emergency review meeting where he had taken a slew of measures to improve the power scenario in the city. Ceasing power supply to malls after 10 pm and switching off halogen high mast street lights during night peak hours were some his major directives.
The moves taken by Jung were acknowledged by experts as they claimed it was a thrift temporary measure. “The measures taken by the l-G are good for emergency times like now. There was one storm and several lines were destroyed. But there is a serious need to introspect as to why such a situation emerged at the first place. The Government has failed to maintain the old infrastructure. Besides, no new assets have been added. Replacement of old lines has also been neglected,” said Shakti Sinha, former Power Secretary. The May 30 storm had damaged a number of transmission lines of 400 KV, 220 KV, 66 KV and 33 KV while a State-owned generation plants had also tripped.