Significant but manageable drop in power as Delhi responds to PM call for lights out

Delhi responded zealously to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for switching off lights and lighting lamps and candles on Sunday at 9pm for nine minutes. So much

Delhi responded zealously to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for switching off lights and lighting lamps and candles on Sunday at 9pm for nine minutes. So much so that officials from the power department said that there was a significant drop in demand, although it did not affect the grid.

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“Delhi’s demand reduced from 1,968 MW to 1242 MW during the nine minutes, which is quite significant,” said a senior official. For comparison, on Saturday, Delhi’s minimum power demand had dropped by about 219MW at 9pm. “We had expected the drop and the eventual surge too. We had issued directions to not switch off any feeders or any sub-stations. Even housing societies were asked not to switch off power supply at the mains. Everything went smoothly.”

In a repeat of the PM’s request on March 22 of applauding the efforts of those on the front lines of the fight, people Sunday banged utensils loudly and blew conches. Many burst fireworks.

The Hanuman Chalisa, Gayatri mantra and patriotic songs from popular Bollywood movies were played in several parts of the city. Earlier in the day, several grocers and vendors selling essential food items, who are exempted from the ongoing lockdown in the country, could be seen selling diyas in their shops, handcarts and makeshift kiosks.

In South Delhi’s Malviya Nagar, some residents started chanting “Bharat Mata Ki” from their balconies, which would eventually yield a response from another set of residents chanting “Jai” from their balconies. It continued until the residents evidently got hold of a rhythm, complemented with the utensil banging and occasional bursting of firecrackers.

The response also saw several people violating the lockdown and being sent back by the police. Several, however, could be seen speeding past barricades on their two-wheelers and cars. Police officers, however, denied these and said no FIRs were registered for such acts till 10pm.

In east Delhi’s Mayur Vihar phase-I, phase-II and Vasundhra Enclave, resident welfare associations had arranged lighting displays along with religious songs playing in the background.

“We encouraged all residents to come out and light at least one lamp outside their house. This is the time when we all need to come together and show our support for the government to fight coronavirus,” said Malti Raghuram, a resident of Mayur Vihar phase-III, DDA colony.

“I think in our colony, people lost the plot a little bit. This was a time to come out in support of each other, a peaceful union, but all we could hear was the loud sound of crackers and all the street dogs started barking because they were scared,” said Suneeta Singh, general secretary of Lajpat Nagar part-IV residents’ welfare association (RWA).

After the nine minutes, many were also seen stepping out of their houses in groups, either to catch up with their neighbours or just to take a walk around. Many rickshaw pullers and street vendors were also seen holding candles and diyas. “The lockdown has hit our business, but we will stand with the government. I was out to see if there were any passengers, who wanted a ride,” said Suraj Kumar, a cycle rickshaw puller in New Ashok Nagar.

Ravi Kumar, a class 8 student of a government school in Mayur Vihar, was among those students who lit diyas on Sunday. Several residents lit diyas and candles and burst firecrackers in the area. “We already had diyas at our home. Our PM asked us to light this as fight against coronavirus and that is why we did it,” he said.

The two discoms under the BSES, which supplies power to over 4.3 million consumers said they saw a reduction of 473 MW in BSES areas.

“We coordinated the mega event with other stakeholders at both the Central and State levels and successfully managed the event in our license area of 950 square KM in Delhi,” a BSES spokesperson said.

Discom Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL), which supplies power to a population of about 7 million in north and West Delhi areas, said electricity demand during the 9 minutes saw of drop by 157MW.

“We worked closely with state load dispatch center and other authorities associated with the grid at state and central level in advance in order to make the event a success. All adequate measures were taken by the company to maintain the grid stability,” said a spokesperson of TPDDL.