Santanu Saraswati
Kolkata, April 22—The power crisis on Wednesday further deepened as the state-run generation company, West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited (WBPDCL), decided to reduce generation because of non-payment of dues from West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL) amounting to Rs 345 crores.
While there was more than 170-mega watt of shortfall in CESC area, WBSEDCL has a shortfall of over 600-mega watts taking the total shortfall of power to 770-mega watts. Areas under CESC have to undergo through the ordeal of power cuts varying from four to five hours—the worst affected are Behala, Bandroni, Rajabazar, Garden Reach, Metiabruz, Tollygange, Kasba, Diamond Harbour Road, Maniktala, and few parts of DC Dey Road, Chaupatty, Canal South Road, Mathpukur, Regent Park and Santoshpur.
Few areas have to reel under acute water supply crisis, as Kolkata Municipal Corporation people failed to run the pumping stations. CESC, however, kept the emergency services like hospitals with uninterrupted supply.
Neither the CESC, nor the WBSEDCL spokesperson could assure improvement of situation in the next one week. “We can’t rule out chances of further deterioration of the situation as we would not continue generation till the state board clears our outstanding. Only Kolaghat unit generated nearly 400-mega watt less than its normal generation. Even DPL has also raised its voice over the pricing system,” a WBPDCL official told Hindustan Times.
Wednesday was perhaps first in the history of Bengal when the state had to reel under acute power crisis when there was no news of breakdown from any generation stations. On a normal day, state thermal power stations generate 3150-mega watt that was cut down to only 2300-mega watts.
The generation company bosses charged the state power board saying: “ The have registered a profit of over Rs 400 crores this year, but without repaying back our outstanding. We are also in business, not to incur a loss,” the WBPDCL official rued.
The stalemate over the issue of repayment, has ultimately, lead the entire state into darkness on Wednesday. Though WBPDCL managing director, Suhriday Mahapatra declined to comment on this issue, he said: “Our units are going through acute crisis of coal. We are not getting coal according to our requirement.”
On the other hand, the managing director of Durgapur Projects Limited, Sibaprasad Dutta, alleged that while his company is selling power to the state board at a much lower rate, as fixed by the regulatory commission, WBSEDCL is exporting that electricity to other state at a much higher price. “There should be parity in pricing system. Everybody is in business,” Dutta said.
But whatever might be the reason, this is for the first time, the state, as well as the city is undergoing through the ordeal of long hours of power cuts in blistering summer because of infighting among the state-run companies. However, there is one news to rejoice: The state power minister, Mrinal Banerjee, has finally decided to settle this issue calling all the bosses of the power utilities by Friday.
EOM
santanu_saraswati@hotmail.com
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