Powerless Delhi looks skyward; weather God relents

New Delhi, July 8 (UNI) Residents ransacked a power office on a hot and humid night in Delhi even as the Government said power cuts could continue till Wednesday by when an additional 500 MW could be arranged or rain relief may arrive.

Thankfully, the unfavourable easterly air current of the past few days gave way to moisture-laden south-westerly current from the Arabian Sea today, promising rain for power starved Delhi and parched lands in neighbouring north-western states.

Parts of the capital received rainfall. Thundershowers or squall may be experienced in parts of north-west India during the next 48 hours, the Met office said.

A cyclonic circulation induced by a western disturbance over north Pakistan and adjoining Jammu and Kashmir region was likely to cause ''scattered rainfall activity over northwest India'', the department said.

The news came on a day when a worried Centre and Delhi Government convened emergency meetings to review the power crisis.

An additional 500 MW would be made available to the capital from the Northern grid, union Power Secretary R V Shahi assured Delhi Chief Secretary Ramesh Narayanswami and Power Secretary Rakesh Mehta during a meeting where the power situation was discussed.

The Centre was taking steps to ensure an additional 1400-1500 MW in the northern region in another few days, Mr Shahi said.

Delhi Power Minister Haroon Yusuf said the 500 MW additional power for the capital would be arranged from the NTPC's 645 MW Kawas power plant of Gujarat and from Uttar Pradesh.

''We have tied up with Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Orissa also for additional power and are working on the question of transmission lines to get it here,'' he told UNI.

The Minister was present at a high-level meeting called by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit to review the situation. Mr Yusuf said the CM directed the power distribution and transmission companies to set up a coordination team and take steps to spread awareness about the ''real position'' on the power front.

''We hope things will be better soon. The situation is expected to ease by July 12, but the demand would come down by around 400 MW if it rains before that date,'' Mr Yusuf said, even as clouds milled overhead.

Demand had shot up to 3900 MW as against the availability of 3300 MW as the mercury hovered around the 40 degree celsius mark while relative humidity levels rose above the 75 per cent level after a spell of rain last month. The mercury touched a high of 39.2 degree celsius mark today.

The Minister said the situation had worsened because the city was being deprived of a 100 MW from the Dadri plant, 210 MW from Badarpur plant and 300 MW from the Nathpa Jakhri plant. While the Badarpur plant was expected to reopen by July 20 after repairs, the Nathpa Jakhri began functioning yesterday, he informed.

Residents were facing 8-10 hours of loadshedding because of the demand-supply shortfall. Scores of residents had ransacked the BSES office at Krishna Nagar in East Delhi late last night after being deprived of electricity.

UNI VN MIR DB1811