Dikshit warns BSES to improve power situation

Facing severe criticism for failing to improve the power situation in the national capital, Delhi government today "warned" discom BSES again to improve the situation and asked it to file a plan of action by tomorrow.        

"I have asked the BSES to file a plan of action for the next 15 days by tomorrow in writing," Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit told reporters after a review meeting of the power situation attended by Congress and BSP MLAs besides CEOs of the private discoms and top government officials.        

Opposition BJP MLAs did not attend the meeting.        

Expressing her dissatisfaction over the functioning of BSES, she said the company was taking six to seven hour to repair the local faults which usually should take maximum half an hour.    

"I have warned the BSES to improve the situation immediately. There is no complaint from areas where power is distributed by NDPL," she said.    

The CM also told power discoms to involve and coordinate with local MLAs in addressing the grievances of the people.        

She added distribution system may face some problem because of the upcoming monsoon and rainy season and the discoms should prepare themselves for the situation.

The Chief Minister, meanwhile, said the power situation in the city has improved in comparison to last few days.    

Dikshit said she had made it clear to the BSES that it would have to arrange electricity "at any cost".

"The BSES has to buy power at any cost even if it is Rs 5 per unit or Rs 50 per unit, they have to buy it," she said, adding that "their argument that they do not get power from Uttarakhand is not acceptable."

Several areas of the city where power is being distributed by the BSES have been experiencing outages in the last few days.

Meanwhile, protests were witnessed in Dabri in west Delhi and Vishwas Nagar of east Delhi against power and water shortage in the national capital.    

A large number of people blocked a road in Dabri, resulting in traffic snarls, to protest against water shortage in their area. They also burnt effigies of Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Mahabal Mishra, West Delhi MP.    

Similarly, a group of people blocked roads to protest against power and water shortage.    

There were also reports of protests in Tis Hazari area of north Delhi.