Contrary to popular perception that power thefts are limited to the economically less affluent, in the capital it’s a different story.
NEW DELHI: Contrary to popular perception that power thefts are limited to the economically less affluent, in the capital it’s a different story.
During the recent crackdown by the Delhi government on misuse of power, the authorities found that the real culprits are residences of the high and mighty, besides hotels and commercial complexes.
In the past six months alone, the power department has issued notices to some top institutions in Delhi, including the prestigious St Stephens College and Ram Manohar Lohia hospital, and a crackdown has been initiated in residential colonies too.
A prominent offender among residential colonies is Samachar Apartments, home to many journalists and the politically well-connected. It received a notice that the electricity supply would be cut if pending electricity bills are not paid.
In fact, the authorities have detected misuse of power to the tune of Rs100 crore in hotels, government departments, residential colonies and colleges in the past 18 months. The detection has managed to save up to 10MW of power in Delhi.
Officials informed that residents of a cluster of houses in east Delhi have not paid their electricity bills for the past few months and they were issued a court notice a few weeks ago. “There are similar examples of another half-a-dozen residential complexes in the same area,” said a senior official of the power department. “Of the total power consumption in Delhi, around 50% of the power is used in residential colonies while only 20% is consumed by the commercial establishments,” informed the official.
The official further informed that one of the main reasons for the worsening power situation is lack of sensitivity of people towards conserving electricity. “The per capita consumption of power in Delhi is 50% more than national average,” added the official.
The state administration has also started pushing for the use of solar energy in public places and residential colonies. “We are speaking to residents’ welfare associations to use solar energy and no new apartments would be given clearances unless they install solar energy equipment in the buildings to conserve power,” said the officer.
Officials said that according to estimates, Delhi would be able to conserve up to 100MW of power costing Rs1,000 crore by the start of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, thanks to the use of solar energy.
By putting pressure on hotels, the administration has managed to convince the management of Maurya Sheraton and Vasant Continental to convert to solar energy. Similar steps are also being taken for other hotels. “We are also giving these hotels a rebate of Rs6,000 in their power bills if they convert to solar energy. The subsidy could further increase with greater use of solar energy in the hotels,” he added.
v_gyan@dnaindia.net
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