Hazards Centre

electricity

electricity situation in delhi

In the reform process for the power sector in Delhi , the Delhi Vidyut Board’s (DVB) distribution network was privatized in the year 2002. The main reasons being that the board was seen as inefficient and corrupt and was making huge losses. It was privatized with the hope that it would reduce losses, would have accurate metering systems and billing, reduction in power thefts, efficient redressal of complaints and reliable supply. After three years of privatization, however, the reality is not what the Delhi ’s middle classes had imagined at the time.

The tariff has already been hiked thrice after that and when it was hiked for the fourth time in 2005, the privileged classes in Delhi protested. Consequently, the hike was called off.

Power cuts are as frequent. And with the new super-sensitive meters, bills have spiraled up.

Power theft continues despite harsh action against slum dwellers, who are often blamed for the same. Several surveys and news reports show that it is the rich who steal power in a massive way, for their range of electrical equipments, commercial establishments etc. The poorer sections residing in slums and resettlement colonies are responsible for a very miniscule proportion of the theft. It is owing to the fact that they are not provided with legal connections, cost of which they are always willing to pay, and thus are forced to claim it illegally. For instance, in 1995, lakhs of families deposited the fee required for a legal connection and subsequent years under the name of bijli card scheme and single point scheme but they never got the connection. Nor the money back.

Instead of learning from the disastrous experience of privatisation of power distribution, the DDA which released the draft Delhi master plan 2021 recently, suggests that power generation should also be privatized.

The Masterplan states that Delhi ’s requirement of power in the year 2021, as tentatively estimated by Delhi Transco limited-transmission wing of the erstwhile DVB and now in the form of a company of the Delhi government, would be 8800MW. In another estimate by the National Capital Region Planning Board the demand in 2021 would be 14211 MW. The issue here is that the same Masterplan suggests that the population of Delhi in 2021 would be around 240 lakhs. It is an increase of less than 100 percent because Delhi ’s present population is 138 lakhs but the increase in power consumption by 2021 is estimated only three to five times. What would be then the nature and source of energy, as would be required for population.

In this backdrop, the Hazards Centre puts forth questions on the rationale and efficacy of privatization, and on equitable distribution of electricity esp. w.r.t. sub-standard settlements.

our work

In 1999, the Hazards centre with the help of Sajha Manch did a survey to understand the actual energy consumption patterns in the informal settlements of Delhi where the majority of the people live. This survey showed that the per capita consumption of electricity in Delhi in such settlements is 8 units. This means that for present Delhi - which has a population of 138 lakhs - energy requirement at the rate of what the majority consume in the city would be 110.4MW. However, 8 units per capita is too low an amount and won’t be sufficient for large number of households in the city even though almost 75 percent of the populace in delhi manage with this amount in whatever way they can.

But even if we increase the minimum amount to 30 units per capita, the total amount of energy required for Delhi today would be 414MW.If we add the energy required for non domestic use and other public purposes to 414 MW then also the energy available (more than 3000 mw) today would be more than enough. The government norm for electricity per capita is 150 units. Based on this norm the energy required would be 2070 MW. All this reveals that there is sufficient energy available in Delhi for everyone but it still fails to reach the consumers. It has also been observed that in the event of energy shortage the distribution companies shed the loads of the lower tariff consumer and maintain the supply to the higher paying consumer.

After privatization in 2002 one poor settlement after another was plunged into darkness as the private companies didn’t see any profits in providing these colonies with legal connections. For instance, the electricity supply to a slum cluster in the Delhi cantonment area was stopped immediately after private companied came in. Residents of the cluster began to sleep on the roads during summer time. And one night seven people were killed by a speeding truck.

A large number of clusters and colonies were left at the mercy of thekedars - a private contractual system of providing electricity started during DVB days. But this continued even after NDPL and BSES became the distribution companies for Delhi . Whenever these companies were approached about providing electricity to the poor and lower middle class colonies, they always gave the excuse that they cant remove the thekedars from these colonies because according to them the thekedars may go to court against the companies. All this resulted in a criminal distribution system in these areas where the ordinary consumer became the victim.

In colonies/basties where there were no thekedars the private companies used the tactics of causing fear psychosis among the consumers before actually taking up the electrification work there. One of the methods adopted by the companies for bullying people has been of sending arbitrary bills amounting in thousands and sometimes even in lakhs. One such colony is Harsh Vihar in east Delhi . This was done with a view to make residents of poor colonies agree to the arbitrary terms and conditions for electrification of these companies. Consumers were threatened to either accept the offer of electrification of their colonies or pay the bills. They were offered some concessions if they were willing for getting a meter on the company’s conditions.

In case of slum clusters also the companies have come up with ways to victimize these poor consumers. Slum dwellers are being forced to accept a 2-ampere power connection for the flat rate of Rs 175 per month. This scheme sounds very attractive but in reality it is going to create a number of problems. There will be an MCB per five or six households. So this will often lead to fights amongst these households the moment the MCB trips. In the end what actually will happen is that slum dwellers will end up paying Rs 175 per month even if their MCB would be down the entire month.

Keeping all the factors in mind the Hazards Centre pushes for review of policy and plans related to electricity in Delhi .