Heat on, power demand in Delhi touches new high

On a day when chief minister Sheila Dikshit said that there was no power shortage in Delhi and power cuts were being caused due to local faults and improper maintenance of distribution network, several parts of the city faced power cuts for 2 to 3 hours. Thanks partly to the high levels of humidity, Delhi also recorded its highest peak demand ever, touching 4,720 MW at 4.10pm.

According to officials, the demand had been rising steadily since the past few days, largely due to the weather conditions. "Airconditioners are working almost non-stop in all buildings since fans and coolers have become highly ineffective. The last time demand was so high was on June 21 this year when it went up to 4,688 MW.

Parts of north and east Delhi including IP Extension, Mayur Vihar and Model Town complained of intermittent power cuts through the afternoon while some parts of south Delhi were affected due to scheduled power cuts. "We have power back-up but the airconditioner does not work on it. Power went off around 2pm in our office and for the next couple of hours we had to sweat it out under the fan,'' said Amrinder Wohra, a businessman in Mayur Vihar.

In the morning, Dikshit, who was addressing the foundation day celebration of Delhi Transco, said that the city would have enough power once the 1,500 MW and 750 MW under-construction plants in Bawana and Jhajjar started generation. By the time the Commonwealth Games commence, Delhi would have sufficient power. "There is no shortage of power in Delhi. We have enough power. Some areas are facing power cuts due to local faults and it is the responsibility of the discoms to ensure uninterrupted power supply,'' she said.