Chhattisgarh now has a total of 88 very High Tension (HT) Power Sub-centres with a development of a massive network of more than 10,000 kms of HT power line.Notably, during the formation of the State, there were only 27 very High Tension lines, officials stated.
Recently, the Chhattisgarh Government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Telangana for selling 1,000 megawatt of power to the newly formed State.The State since its foundation was aware of the fact that without sufficient power availability, development is impossible. Accordingly, the energy policies of State were formulated and executed.
As a result, presently Chhattisgarh State Power Generation Company limited (CSPGCl) has attained production capacity of 2,424.7 MW which in year 2000 was 1,360 MW, Vijay Mishra Deputy General Manager (Public Relations) CSPDCl informed.He said that presently there are two units of 500 MW each are under construction in Madva and Tendubhata both in Janjgir-Champa district. After commissioning of these plants the power capacity of State would reach 34,247.7 MW.
The CSPGCl has also won several national awards for its performances. On several instances, the power generation company has topped comparative power production tally of Central Power Authority (CPA), he said. Several power generation units in Chhattisgarh have set record of ‘running without any tripping’. The Gangrel Hydel Power unit in year 2013-14 produced 43.348 million units of power which was highest since the setting up of this plant. Similarly, the small hydel power plants have also produced 8.269 million units of electricity which is also a record, he added.
Due to policies adopted by the State Government, the power generation in private sector has registered four-fold increase. In 2006-07, the private sector was producing 1,000 MW of power which now has jumped to 4,650 MW in recent years, he said. Currently there are 128 captive power plants in Chhattisgarh with total capacity of 11,000 MW in 12th five-year plan Government has planned to produce 20,000 MW power in Chhattisgarh, he said.
With increased production the power distribution has also seen huge expansion. Moreover, as long as 1.36 lakh km increase has been registered in the power supply lines of different capacity during the last 11 years in Chhattisgarh. Since the formation of the State, about 1.50 lakh kilometre extension has so far been made in different capacity power lines in the State, officials stated.
The Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company ltd (CSPDCl) officers said here on Tuesday that with the addition of these lines, the total length of power lines in the State has reached to 2,54,721 kms. Out of this, 1,54,311-km is of low Tension (lT) and 83,311-km 11 kV capacity line and 17,384 km 33 kV capacity lines. At the time of formation of the State, the total capacity of power lines was 1,04,858 km.
Along with the extension of power supply lines, rural electrification has also been speeded up. The percentage of rural electrification in 2001 was 90.71, which now has increased to 97.39 per cent. From December 2003 to July 31, 2014, electrification of 1,154 villages has been done. Electrification of 446 villages has been done through conventional and 706 villages through non-conventional methods by CREDA.
Since formation of Chhattisgarh, till November 31, 2003, 119 villages had been electrified through conventional and 102 through non-conventional energy. Now, total 19,057 villages have been electrified in the State. During the period, the number of electrified major settlements has been increased to 25,048. Moreover, gone are the days when people had to wait in long queues and repeatedly visit the offices of electricity department for works like payment of bill, new connection and complaints, officials stated.
All these services are now available online, through SMS, e-mail, mobile short code service and Central Call Centre started by the Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company limited (CSPDCl). The online services started by the company are not only saving time and money of the consumer but also reducing physical and mental stress, officials stated.
The consumer can pay the bill according to his convenience on all week days with help of ATP machines from 8am to 8pm. The other options available for payment of bill are through website by Airtel Money, credit card, debit card or internet banking. Besides this, pay-point centers and spot billing are also available with help of cheques according to CSPDCl Managing Director Subodh Singh .
The consumer can use the website for latest bill, duplicate bill, advance payment, payment receipt and information about bill and payments of past 24 months. Similarly, complaints regarding power cut, defunct street lights could also be registered online. Other facilities like bill calculator for estimated bill and tariff besides nearest Payment Centre is also available.
With help of information technology tools, the department uses SMS service to inform the consumer about bill, reminder of payment and information about disconnection for delay in payment of bill besides information related to power cut in case of breakdown for more than four hours. The complaint can also be registered through e-mail, SMS on 56161 and by use of log code service by sending SMS on 9243150000. The company has started Central Call Centre (number 1912) benefitting lakhs of consumers of 20 cities. The Central Call Centre has 30 lines and is operation round-the-clock.
The consumer can lodge complaint in Hindi, English and Chhattisgarhi language. SMS is sent to the consumer after registration and disposal of the complaint. In case the complaint is not addressed in given time period, it is automatically forwarded to the concerned senior officers. To improve the customer service, a Data Center has been established by CSPDCl at Dangnia in Raipur. The Data Center established on 1650 square feet has a storage capacity of 110 terabyte, officials said.
They said that for providing power backup to the Data Center, a UPS system of 300 KVA capacity has been installed there. The power is supplied to the Data Center by two 500 KVA transformers with auto-change over facility. Similarly, at the centralised Call Center as many as 30 lines are available on telephone number 1912. The customers can lodge their complaints 24X7 on this helpline, officials said.
The officials said that the company is using advanced technology systems to provide more and more good services to the consumers. The Energy Information Technology Centre of the company has started innovative works under the R-APDRP scheme. For a new connection, the people of Chhattisgarh need not to frequent the office of Energy Department. CSPDCl is providing online electricity connection through its website www.cseb.gov.in, officials said.
The applicant will have to input the required information on the format provided on the website and attach the required documents.The new connection is given after verification of documents and information uploaded by the applicant, the officials said. Along with the extension of power supply lines, rural electrification has also been speeded up. The percentage of rural electrification in 2001 was 90.71, which now has increased to 97.39 per cent. From December 2003 to July 31, 2014, electrification of 1,154 villages has been done. Electrification of 446 villages has been done through conventional and 706 villages through non-conventional methods by CREDA.
Since formation of Chhattisgarh, till November 31, 2003, 119 villages had been electrified through conventional and 102 through non-conventional energy. Now, total 19,057 villages have been electrified in the State. During the period, the number of electrified major settlements has been increased to 25,048.