Jamshedpur, May 11: With the onset of summer, power woes have hit the city. Jharkhand Urja Vikas Nigam Limited (JUVNL) command areas in the city and its adjoining areas are reeling from an acute power crisis following erratic electricity generation at the Tenughat Vidyut Nigam Limited (TVNL).
Sources at the Central Load Despatch (CLD), which supplies power in JUVNL command areas, said that TVNL was unable to generate adequate power leading to short-supply in the two power grid sub-stations at Golmuri and Gamharia. While the JUVNL command areas require about 120-130 MW power, it is getting a supply of 70-80 MW, leading to erratic supply and prolonged load shedding in its command areas in the city and its adjoining areas.
The worst hit were Mango, Sundernagar, Parsudih, Govindpur, Adityapur and several other localities on the outskirts of the city. Residents complained they were being forced to deal with prolonged power cuts. �We had no electricity last night. Hot and humid temperature has made life hell for us. The inverters also gave away after some time,� said Ashok Choudhary a resident of Jugsalai.
Residents of Mango which was getting about 20-hours of power supply had to confront with power overhauls every two hours. The situation was no better in other JUVNL command areas which faced problems of erratic power supply, prolonged load shedding and voltage fluctuations. Blackouts greeted areas like Galudih and Mosabani.
The industrial units at Adityapur and Gamharia, which are dependent on JUVNL, also faced problems, as a majority was unable to meet schedules due to poor power supply. Production was hampered at several small and medium scale units under the Adityapur Industrial Area Development Authority (AIADA) due to the power crisis. Small units cannot afford production by using generator sets due to cost factor.
�The situation is really pathetic in the country�s biggest industrial hub. Gamharia grid that feeds the Adityapur Industrial Area normally requires an average 130 MW, but at present the grid is receiving only 40 MW to 50 MW resulting in industries to cut production.
Apart from the alternative hour power cut, electricity goes off any time before and after it at unscheduled hours, hitting our production badly,� said M. Ram, an industrialist of Adityapur Industrial Area.
JUVNL officials admitted that the CLD was supplying power much below requirement. The Golmuri sub-station today received 20 MW, against a minimum requirement of 35MW. The Gamharia power grid sub-station, which also supplies power to Adityapur industrial area, received 50 MW against a requirement of 120 MW during peak hours.
Superintending engineer of JUVNL, A P Singh admitted that almost all the places served by the power board, were facing acute power crisis due to supply restrictions.� One unit of TVNL is already closed for the last few days due to some technical problems. The power generated by PTPS is less than 100 MW. This has resulted in a crisis,” Singh said.