DELHI’S POWER SECTOR.

1. Delhi has to undergo unscheduled and long duration power cuts with acute water shortage.

2. While the responsibility of the DISCOMS to provide uninterrupted power should never be undermined-the role of power departments of the Delhi Government and the union Government also needs to be scrutinized. The generation and transmission is to be dealt by Government owned PSUs.

3. In 1998, when the Congress-led Government came to power in Delhi, we used to have power riots. Delhi had 56% of theft in Power amounting to 4200 crores. Thus Power reforms were initiated. These power reforms appreciated by President Kalama in his President’s Address to Parliament in 2003, brought an uninterrupted power supply to Delhi at one of the lowest domestic rates in India and lowest transmission losses (theft).

4. But last two years have seen the gains of power reforms erode fast. Primarily responsible factors are; confused regulator unable to reign in Power Companies and no initiative by the Government owned Transmission and Generation companies.

5. The average demand in last week is 5655 MW and the installed generation capacity in Delhi is 2917 MW. But the generation from this installed capacity last week average was only 898 MW.Thus it could be seen that only 30.78% of the generation capacity within Delhi is being utilized. No efforts are being made by both the Delhi GENCO and the NTPC to provide 100% of the installed capacity.

Following is the table of Demand of Electricity, generation capacity vis-a-vis Actual Generation in Delhi:

6. Since the generation within Delhi is so low, the only way is to transmit power from outside. But the capacity constraint is there too. The maximum capacity of transmission lines is not more than 4500 MW. Thus as soon as the demand goes up from 5300 MW, the system in Delhi is unable to take the burden.

7. No major effort has been put in to improve the transmission capacity in the last 2 years.Four 400 KV sub stations at Rajghat, Tughlakabad, Dwarka and Karampura were to be put in. But due to slackness of the Delhi Government and at some places, land issues between the Delhi Government and the DDA, these are unresolved.

8. DTL web site does not give the OCC (operation Co-ordination Committee meeting) minutes beyond 2014. So no one knows the commitments of DTL and its achievements.

9. Draft notification for changes in Delhi Electric Supply Code and Performance Standards to compensate consumers suffering on power outages was issued by the DERC last year in June. The last date for seeking views has been extended four times, but yet the final notification is to come. However, it has not deterred Kejriwal Ji to announce twice in last one year that the consumers facing unscheduled power cuts would be monetarily compensated.

10. Since Kejriwal Ji has come to power, Rs. 4000 crores have been paid to the Private Power DISCOMs in form of subsidy, however, no steps have been taken by the Government to ensure improvement in the power sector of Delhi.

WATER WOES IN DELHI

• Delhi suffers on water shortage because of Kejriwal’s soaring Punjab ambitions
• Wrong Affidavit in Apex Court on SYL issue deprives Delhi fate to get 120,000 cusec/day wateras against just 1200 cusec which we are getting now from Haryana

1. The National Capital has been facing acute water shortage and Kejriwal’s promise of giving 700 litres of free water to every house hold has fallen flat.

2. 70% of Delhi’s water comes from Munak canal and Western Yamuna canal. This is around 1200 cusec or .002 MAF (Million Acre Feet). However, SYL canal when operational, the water share of Delhi would be 0.2 MAH (or 120,000 cusec) which is 100 times more than what Delhi is getting now from Haryana. For this reason, in all previous affidavits on this matter before the on-going matter in Hon’ble Supreme Court, the GNCTD had supported SYL canal for Delhi. However, unfortunately, Delhi has now made to suffer because of Kejriwal’s soaring Punjab ambitions.

3. In the recent affidavit of 22^nd April, Shri Kejriwal has withdrawn all previous affidavits/ submissions supporting SYL canal for Delhi. Instead of using this opportunity before the Apex Court to press for implementation of SYL canal, which would help Delhi in a big way, he on Affidavit ha said “the dispute of conveyance system is between Haryana and Punjab in which Delhi has no comments”. Thus in order to fulfil his own political ambitions, Shri Arvind Kejriwal has helped in scrapping the SYL project which will in-turn be of immense adverse consequences for the people of Delhi. Had Kejriwal given precedence to the needs of the people of Delhi over his own selfish political interests, then the share of water allocated to Delhi (as per the SYL agreement), could have solved the entire water problem of the National Capital. I would re-iterate that the Delhi Government has missed a golden opportunity to take an effective stand before the Supreme Court (qua Delhi’s share in SYL water sharing agreement), which was seized of the matter and has now reserved judgement on 12.05.2016.

4. Moreover, while in certain areas of Delhi, the situation is like a drought and people don’t even have drinking water, Shri Kejriwal, in order to make headlines, is doing stunts of sending ‘water train’ to Latur. The same is very unfortunate as his first priority should be to serve those who gave them 67 out of 70 seats in Delhi.