Haryana may add to Delhis woes

Haryana may add to Delhis woes

New Delhi/Chandigarh: The chief minister may have pulled up the discom for its inefficiency in an emergency meeting on Sunday but BSES chairman Lalit Jalan, told this newspaper that expensive power could come only if consumers were prepared to suffer a tariff hike. Incidentally, NDPL which supplies power to north Delhi and NDMC areas has been buying power at Rs 11.50 per unit. The chief minister is also believed to have expressed displeasure at the state of BSESs equipment.
In its defence, BSES told the chief minister that the power crisis was a fallout of the abnormally long heat wave conditions . The utility argued against buying costly power, saying the crisis has been precipitated by the non-availability of power from Uttarakhand and a spurt in demand . They had budgeted for an 8.5% increase in demand, which has, in fact, shot up by 15%.
Dikshit told BSES that power cuts could not stretch beyond an hour. She also asked the discom to draw up a loadshedding schedule and flash it on local channels and ensure coordination with the power department. The power department, in turn, was asked to monitor SCADA BSESs special software that checks power theft to keep a tab on loadshedding.
The worries on the water front, however, remain. Haryanas reluctance to meet its obligation to Delhi is believed to stem from the fact that the Yamuna has just 3,000 cusecs of water against last years 19,802 cusecs. Haryanas water requirement stands at 5,000 cusecs while Delhi gets about 950 cusecs.
R N Prasher, the principal secretary and financial commissioner , irrigation, has conveyed this to the Delhi Government in a letter earlier this week, also citing that the Bhakhra Beas Management Board (BBMB) had cut Haryanas share of water from the Bhakra. This is beyond our control now. According to river water agreements, we have to share water among Delhi, Rajasthan , UP and Haryana. It is not possible for us to provide the desired quota. We have clarified our position, Prasher said.
DJB says it has not received any such communication. Delhi Jal Board CEO Ramesh Negi confirmed : We have received no intimation , officially or otherwise, of any reduction in our supply from Haryana. M K Lamba, superintending engineer, Haryana Irrigation Department, said: At present we have not reduced Delhis supply and there are no immediate plans for the same either . However, if the situation becomes worse, we will be forced to take steps.