For the urgent attention of Power Ministry

July 2005 - September 2005 Index

Editorial

For the urgent attention of Power Ministry

The national newspapers are full of reports and stories about the difficulties and distress being faced by the Delhi citizens due to the daily increasing power failures. The private distribution companies took over power distribution in Delhi promised steady power supply and many other facilities for the consumers, like Connection within fifteen days of application. Ownership change maximum within four months, deposits will be paid back within two months, if connection is given up. A complaint about the bill will be attended to within 7 days etc.. But now nothing is in practice and nobody is there in the electricity section offices to respond to the complaints of consumers. Steady power supply was never instead intermittent power failures are hunting Delhi residents the duration of which at times goes beyond six hours. In this unusually hot season life in Delhi is being made miserable. The middle classes of Delhi were strongly supporting the privatization of power distribution system are now up in arms against it. There experience convinced them to turn against it and demand that the Delhi electricity board should be restored back, by sending out these private companies from the field. The private distribution companies drastically reduced the compliment of workers even from the contingent required for the maintenance of the system also they have sold out or have taken away the stand by equipments. They have increased the power rates during the last three years in total 44% the average rate now the consumers are charged rupees Rs.4.35 per unit. Besides faulty electronic meters are installed resulting invariable increase in the power rates, above all as indicated before power cuts have become the order of the day, that is why the residents welfare associations, citizen groups and other sections are forced to demand the reversal of privatization and are organizing black days as a form of protest and no one can predict what form it will take in the near future. In short the situation is explosive.

Let us see now what happened in Mumbai, Maharashtra during the recent unprecedented flood havoc.

The power distribution in the old Mumbai city is being handled by BEST a corporation owned company Mumbai suburban areas by the reliance energy Ltd owned by Ambani. The rest of the state by the state electricity board.

During the flood period the disrupted power supply in the areas controlled by the public sector MSEB were restored within 24 hours for 80% of the consumers and for the rest within 48 hours. While the private company owned by Ambanies took about 10 days for restoring connection to the consumers. The consumers were not only in the dark for 10 days but also in many areas could not get even drinking water due to the power system collapse. The restoration they completed only after getting show cause notice form Mumbai suburban collector. Why this difference ?

The answer provided by frontline magazine of 26^th July 2005

“The MSEB suffered huge losses-5,667 of its transformers were affected 12 high-tension towers fell and 14 small distribution stations were flooded- but it was able to restore power within 24 hours in most places “our priority was to get drinking water schemes started and then we tackled the rest” said Jayanat Kawale, the managing director of MSEB. For a change people are appreciating our efforts” Kawale said MSEB’s men used ropes to climb a hill to reach a small town cut off by landslides. One engineer even swan across a river to pull out a jammed cable” .

The reliance private company has reduced the compliment of work force and besides handicapped by the stand by equipments and even had no emergency set up to cope up with any kind of disaster management which is a must for any power supply system.

What comrade Vivek Monteiro of CITU said in this regard is quoted below. Which is very much relevant.

“Private companies work on a strict principle of putting money where they can make money” disaster preparedness or the need to keep resource-human and other wise is not commercially viable. In privatization it is human resources that is affected first”.

And that is why the people of Maharashtra are vehemently demanding that the private distribution system handled by reliance energies should be brought back under the MSEB. And save this vital sector from this profit hunter.

We demand immediate response from the power minister on the demand raised by the people of Delhi and Maharashtra.


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