Even as the city finds it hard to cope with the growing power requirements,the UT Administration has not been able to take a call on allocation of land for a fourth feeder to be installed. The proposal to install the fourth feeder in the city was approved in January. Since then,land has not been identified where the feeder can be set up. Over the past few weeks,power outages are being experienced in the city. Power cuts,both scheduled and unscheduled,are being faced by the residents of most sectors. At some places,power supply remains affected for hours. There are three feeders through which electricity is supplied to the city. The oldest one is at Dhulkot near Ambala. Another one is located at Mohali and the third at Kishangarh. One of the reasons for power outages is fault developing in one or the other feeder lines. This occurs primarily due to overloading. Over the years,the electricity load has witnessed an increase. While at present the peak time demand is around 350 mega watts,it is expected to touch 400 MW by next year. Apart from an increase in the number of commercial complexes,more air-conditioners are being installed in the residential areas,as well. This is causing the load to increase. However, residents have not declared the load,despite the electricity department asking for self declaration forms to be submitted. Superintending Engineer (Electricity) M P Singh said that with the load increasing,if the feeder is not installed this year,the problem of power outages would be severe next year. Three feeders are not sufficient to cater to the growing demand of electricity. If one develops a problem,we have to shut down electricity supply to some areas,as the load cannot be transferred to the other feeders. The approval for installation of feeder has been received from the Centre. We are awaiting the clearance of a site where it is to be set up, he said. There is need to upgrade other infrastructure,as well. While transformers are being installed at some places,these are still not sufficient to cater to the growing demands. MHA nod for purchase of additional power Ministry of Home Affairs has given a one-time approval to the Administration for purchase of additional electricity. The electricity department had prepared a proposal seeking approval to purchase power in bulk for a period of six months,May to October. The ministry has now given approval to call tenders to purchase power. It will now be purchased for the remaining period. At present,the department was purchasing additional electricity on a daily basis. An additional 30 MW power supply from the unallocated quota has also been approved for the city.
