What would you have been had you not been an engineer? When I was younger, I always thought of becoming a teacher and subsequently, joining the Indian Administrative Services. But destiny had other plans. After completing my Plus Two science from Ravenshaw College, I took admission into engineering at UCE, Burla. I had also been selected by the Benaras Hindu University but since I was underage, they did not relax the norms for me. I graduated in 1963 and have been an engineer for the past 49 years. I have been invited several times for giving talks at various meetings and seminars so, in a way, my aspiration of becoming a teacher has partially been fulfilled.

Electric poles that were installed 30 years ago in Bhubaneswar and Cuttak have not been replaced and the wires have lost their tenacity. What is the reason for this sloppiness?

The power distribution companies are making losses and a major part of the earning is going towards buying power from Grid Corporation of Odisha (Gridco). On an average, our monthly revenue is nearly Rs 150 crore, of which around Rs 120 crore is spent on buying power and Rs 25 crore in payment of salary to the staff.

So, with a surplus of just Rs 5 crore, it is difficult to undertake these jobs. But fortunately, now the state government has realised our difficult situation and has come forward with a Capital Expenditure (Capex) programme for system improvement. This will take effect very soon.

The government allocated Rs 2,400 crore under the Capex programme in November 2010, but the work has not begun. It is alleged that there is lack of coordination between the government and power distribution companies.

This is not correct. The government has set up a monitoring committee headed by the secretary of energy department and comprising representatives from finance and planning and coordination departments, power distribution companies and Gridco. All issues, including tendering process, are finalised by them so there is no question of lack of coordination.

Why the delay then?

There are certain reasons. Capex is the first-of-its-kind programme and there were several issues, legal or otherwise, to be sorted out. For the tender, we ask for either cash, demand draft or security deposit. Since Capex is a high-budget investment, the response to the tendering process was very poor. So, we requested the monitoring committee to relax the norms. Instead of cash, we asked for bank guarantee, the processing for which takes about three to four months.

How much do you plan to spend on strengthening the power infrastructure in the area under Cesu?

An amount of Rs 936 crore will be spent over four years. In the first year, we will utilise half the money, 85 per cent of which would be kept aside for Bhubaneswar and adjoining areas such as Khurda and Cuttack. In the next phase, more money will be spent in rural areas. For the project, Cesu will provide counterpart funding of Rs 403.5 crore. We have tied up with the Rural Electrification Corporation, which has sanctioned a loan of Rs 200 crore.

What is the extent of power theft?

Power theft in areas under Cesu’s jurisdiction is roughly around 38 per cent. The electric poles and wires have not been changed for the last 30 years and the number of consumers has increased from 6 lakh to 14 lakh but we have been drawing power from the same line. We conducted a pilot study in urban and semi-urban areas and found out that apart from 20 per cent technical loss, the non-technical or commercial loss is another 20 per cent which relates to theft. One per cent loss in Cesu means an annual loss of Rs 20 crore. So, overall, Rs 400 crore is lost every year because of power theft, often in collusion with our meter readers and agencies.

How can this be curbed?

By adopting modern mechanism. When the Centre provided funds to states for the Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme (R-APDRP), Odisha, unfortunately, did not get it. So our government came up with the Capex programme on the lines of the R-APDRP.

lIt is alleged that you are tough on general consumers found guilty of power theft but not on those who consume high power.

It is not so. The high-value consumers consume 30 per cent of power and contribute to 60 per cent of our revenue. But we are constantly monitoring them from our head office. If there is a deviation, our engineers visit them and check their meters. In the last 18 months, we have collected around Rs 50 to 60 lakh as fine from some hotel owners in Puri and Bhubaneswar, but I cannot name them.

There is another allegation that your staff members are indifferent to complaints of general consumers.

I cannot totally deny this. They are expected to be more responsive to such complaints and must realise that the consumer is our god. We have set up a consumer care centre that takes care of service connections. One has to visit our office only once and be assured of a connection within 14 days. We are also modernising our system but the only constraint is that we are not earning enough.

Can you ensure that there will be no power cuts during the ongoing exam season and during summer?

We have decided there would no power cut during exam season and have appealed to the industrial houses to minimise their consumption between 6pm and 10pm. However, since our hydro-power generation has dropped, there might be daily power cuts for about one-and-a-half hours during summer.

Engineering power

• An expert in the field of electrical engineering, B.C. Jena, the chairman-cum-CEO of the Central Electricity Supply Utility (Cesu), has experience of almost five decades in power engineering.
• Jena completed his matriculation from Ravenshaw Collegiate School, Cuttack, and did his Plus Two science from Ravenshaw College and graduated in electrical engineering in 1963 from University College of Engineering (UCE), Burla, in 1963. Thereafter, he joined as assistant engineer.
• Jena has held the post of member of Odisha Electricty Regulatory Commission, chairman-cum managing director, of Grid Corporation of Odisha (Gridco), general manager of IB thermal power station and managing director of Odisha Power Grid Corporation.
• He was also in charge of the construction of 2X210 MW thermal units at Banaharpalli, which were instrumental in overcoming the power crisis of the state to a great extent.
• Jena played a key role in the preparation of various regulations under the Electrical Act, 2003 and determination of tariff for hydro-stations under Odisha Hydro-Power Corporation. He has installed many electrical poles and sub-stations.
• Jena has been conferred the title of a “professional engineer” by the Institute of Engineers, India and honoured with Sir Visvesvaraya award for
excellence in engineering achievement.