Pay up or get lost, DVB told

NEW DELHI, December 21: Union Power Minister Rangarajan Kumaramangalam has given the Delhi Government a deadline by which to pay its arre...

NEW DELHI, December 21: Union Power Minister Rangarajan Kumaramangalam has given the Delhi Government a deadline by which to pay its arrears if it wants power for the Capital. The Delhi Government, on the other hand, expressed its inability to pay the huge arrears 8220;immediately8221;.

8220;There is no way that we can supply power that does not exist,8221; Kumaramangalam said today after a high-level meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. The city has been suffering from massive power cuts, something Dikshit promised to rid the city of after she took over.

8220;Delhi is already overdrawing from the Northern Grid,8221; Kumaramangalam said. 8220;I told the Delhi Chief Minister that she should manage the demand and resort to load shedding.8221; He also predicted that the power situation would be worse next summer if the generation capacity does not quickly increase.

8220;I have given the Delhi Government a notice to pay their arrears before January 15,8221; he said, talking about the Rs 450 crore that the Delhi Vidyut Board DVB owes to the Union Government8217;s National Thermal Power Corporation NTPC.

In addition to this, Kumaramangalam has also demanded an increase in the letter of credit LC by another Rs 18 crore. Delhi pays an LC, the money with which it purchases power from the NTPC, of Rs 200 crore per month already.

He, however, gave the assurance that he would arrange for increasing the power supply from nine to 15 per cent to the Capital. 8220;We will try to increase the power allocation to the Capital and ask the northern states to help in the situation,8221; Kumaramangalam said. Dikshit, after the meeting, said: 8220;There is no denying the fact that we are short of power. We will do whatever is possible within the realm of feasibility to minimise the problem.8221; She said privatisation of power management was not a solution to 8220;our immediate problem8221;. About the payment of arrears, Delhi Power Minister Narender Nath pointed out that though the arrears could not be cleared immediately, they will be cleared by retrieving the losses made by the DVB. As to whether the DVB will pay the arrears before January 15, the minister said: 8220;Nothing like that because it will have to be a slow process. We will take at least 3 to 4 months to pay the arrears.8221; Regarding Kumaramanglam8217;s notice on the arrears, he said: 8220;Dikshit has assuredhim regarding our sincerity about paying the arrears. We told them to at least maintain the power that they are giving us.8221;

About the increase in the LC by Rs 18 crore, he said: 8220;We will look into the matter and consider it in the Cabinet meeting.8221; Speaking earlier, DVB chairman Virender Singh said:8220;The consumers must be disciplined, either on their own or we will have to resort to load shedding, a schedule for which will soon be drawn up.8221;

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The load shedding schedules for commercial establishments will be worked out under the Delhi Shops and Establishment Act. There has been a loss of 1700 to 1800 MW during morning and evening peak hours in the Capital due to the heavy fog and adverse weather conditions.

Delhi, which requires about 2,400 MW, is experiencing a shortfall of about 300 MW, mainly due to the shutting down of a 1000 MW gas turbine plant of the NTPC due short-circuiting in the plant caused by the foggy conditions.