Recipe for losing power

While Delhi’s power demand has shot up to 4,000 megawatts (MW), the five city-based plants together generate only 900 MW to 1,100 MW power in a day.

During the 2003 Assembly elections, electricity, rather the lack of it, was a major poll issue. Although the situation is better this time, 10.2 per cent voters in the city still said that power shortage was a poll issue.

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While Delhi’s power demand has shot up to 4,000 megawatts (MW), the five city-based plants together generate only 900 MW to 1,100 MW power in a day.

The government might have privatised distribution but generation, where the problem lies, is still government controlled.

Projects like the 1,500 MW Bawana plant have been in the pipeline for more than a decade. Furthermore, all the four Delhi-based power plants — IP station, Rajghat, Gas Turbine and Pragati — don’t function to capacity most of the time.