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BLACKOUT
ELECTRIFIED BY the Reliance Energy Ltd (REL) entering into an agreement with the State Government for constructing a 3,000 MW mega gas-based power plant at Dadri, Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav had on June 10, 2004, told mediapersons that the UP?s power shortage would be over within three years. ?The State will not only meet its own demand but will also export 2,000 MW of electricity to other States after three years,? he had claimed while briefing the journalists after the Cabinet meet.
ELECTRIFIED BY the Reliance Energy Ltd (REL) entering into an agreement with the State Government for constructing a 3,000 MW mega gas-based power plant at Dadri, Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav had on June 10, 2004, told mediapersons that the UP’s power shortage would be over within three years. “The State will not only meet its own demand but will also export 2,000 MW of electricity to other States after three years,” he had claimed while briefing the journalists after the Cabinet meet.
Two years have passed since the CM made the announcement but things have only gone from bad to worse. The demand and supply gap has gone from 1500 MW in 2004 to 2500 in 2006.
Fed up, people have now even started seeking divine intervention to bail them out. Call this the height of cynicism or anything, but residents of Kanpur on Friday performed a worship of ‘Bijli Devi’. A motley crowd of hopeless people organised the ‘pooja’ amidst chanting of ‘shlokas’ and ‘bhajans’. A similar worship was organised in Varanasi some time back.
In fact, the situation is very bad this year as the State faces its most serious power shortage-a fact, which Energy Minister Shivpal Singh Yadav also confessed to on Friday. While the demand for power is touching the 7500 MW mark, total power available from the State’ outdated thermal and hydro plants is only around 2100-200 MW, with one or the other depleted plant going kaput almost everyday. Despite overdrawing electricity from the grid ignoring the Centre’s warning, the demand-supply gap is around 2,500 MW during peak hours on any given day.
As a result, the UPPCL is forced to make indiscriminate rostering throughout the State. Industries, business activities, work in offices, hospitals, banks, schools get equally affected. Even worse affected is the water supply. Scenes of people making a beeline for public hand pumps are commonplace.
The common man is forced to live most nights in candle or kerosene lamp light. Not wonder kerosene oil in many cities, including Varanasi, is being sold for Rs 40 per litre or more. The affluent ones are, however, using generator sets either to get power supply or charge their inverters, causing a lot of noise and pollution.
But what is the most disturbing is that the harried and hopeless people are increasingly taking the law into their hands attacking the power staff, ransacking and torching power sub-stations and blocking roads.
People in Varanasi had a few days back held a mock court trial of power officials. In the end they found the officials guilty of their woes and hanged them as punishment. Imagine if that turns into a reality.
Kanpur city is passing through the worst ever phase of power crisis in the past 20 years. With no respite from prolonged hours of power cuts people have run out of patience and have started giving vent to their ire by attacking KESCo officials and ransacking substations. After the onset of present power crisis more than 20 instances of attacking KESCo officials and ransacking substations have been reported till date. On an average the entire city is subjected to reel under 16 to 18 hours of power cuts on any given day.
In Allahabad sub standard material in repair work is often cited as the cause behind power woes. The last three days have been comparatively worse for consumers of more than half the city. Some snag or the other in the 33 kv line feeding the Mayo Hall division from Minto Park supply station had been testing consumers’ patience.
Agra, despite being within the Taj Trapezium Zone, and a heavy amount having been spent for updating power arrangements, the end result is far below expectation. The substation at Kamla Nagar was recently targeted by angry residents and even Agra-Firozabad highway was blocked.
Varanasi is experiencing 12 to 15-hour rostering per day. As a result of this unprecedented power rostering, city dwellers have been staging massive demonstrations, gheraos of substations, road blockades on a regular basis.
Employees of Purvanchal Power Corporation have also extended support in the ongoing protest against poor power scenario and unscheduled power cuts at night. On paper the city is getting 16-hour power supply but the ground reality is people hardly getting 14-hour power supply.
Reports from Azamgarh said that 68 villages under Tarwa Block in the district had been going without any electricity for the last five days. The future will be even more tense, as demand for power increases at the rate of 10-12 per cent every year. The ongoing electrification of over 3000 villages will lead to an additional demand for 2000 MW in next two-three years.
According to a senior engineer and veteran trade union leader Shailendra Dubey, the solution lies in putting up more power plants immediately under the public sector. He said the Government should immediately start construction on the pending 1000 MW Anapara C project under the public sector. For immediate relief, the Government should crack down on power theft and strictly enforce rules related to energy conservation.
