Energy minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak

Bhubaneswar, May 25: If power cuts and low voltage in the punishing summer heat are making you sweat and cringe, blame it on the state government’s failure to implement relevant reform schemes.

Had it implemented the schemes under the capital expenditure programme (CAPX), which aims at strengthening power infrastructure, frequent transformer breakdowns would not have added to your power woes.

This has also resulted in the low voltage problem.

Although the government had allocated nearly Rs 2,400 crore under CAPX for system improvement in November 2010, the work has not yet begun. Nearly Rs 900 crore from the CAPX fund would be spent mostly in the coastal belt, which falls under the jurisdiction of Central Electricity Supply Utility (Cesu).

One 40 MVA power transformer at Chandaka grid, Bhubaneswar, stopped working because of a technical snag three days ago. “We will replace it as soon as possible with a new one with higher capacity. Until the transformers are replaced, several areas in Bhubaneswar will experience load shedding,” said a Cesu official.

Nearly eight per cent of the transformers run by Cesu have already been damaged this summer.

“The low voltage has made life very difficult. The fans are not functioning properly,” said Sarojkanta Dhal, a resident of Gadakana.

Chandaka, Baramunda, Nayapalli, Brit Colony, Unit-I and many parts of Chandrasekharpur have been affected.

Residents of the capital are finding it difficult to take the heat when the power cuts hit, especially since the mercury hasn’t come below 40ºC in the last three days. “There has been no fixed time for power cuts since the past two to three days. Today there was a power cut at 10.15 in the morning. It’s been very difficult with the mercury hovering around the 40 degree Celsius mark,” said Soudamini Paikray, 42, a resident of Bomikhal.

“It is unfortunate that consumers are facing difficulties in spite of a recent hike in tariffs. The city is reeling from extreme heat conditions and unscheduled power cuts have only added to our woes. The government must ensure uninterrupted power supply,” said Nimai Hansda, 28, a private tutor who stays in Chandrasekharpur.

Energy minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak said: “The process (of implementing power reform schemes) has been delayed as we try to maintain utmost transparency while awarding the contracts.”

Electric poles that were set up 35 years ago are yet to be replaced. The mass of wires that have lost their tenacity over the years remains unchanged.

Sources said Cesu planned to spend Rs 900 crore on strengthening the infrastructure to provide hassle-free power to its 14 lakh consumers in the next two years.

Chief operating officer of Cesu Batakrushna Lenka admitted delay in execution of the programme. “The delay in the tendering process has held up the work. However, we have expedited the process and hope the work will begin next month. Money has been released to bring the materials,” he said.

Lenka also said that on many occasions, Cesu had not found contractors to award the tenders to. Cesu plans to spend Rs 354 crore this year on work to strengthen the power infrastructure.

“Nearly 100 circuit kilometre of wire needs to be replaced immediately. The tenacity of the wires has weakened over the years and they have lost their power-carrying capacity. Also, a number of transformers need to be replaced,” said an official.

To meet the demands, Cesu plans to add 400 new transformers to its capacity. The power concern will install 33 more KV lines to its existing 11 KV lines and seven 33/11 KV stations will be set up. The capacity of all the 45 existing 33/11 KV stations will be enhanced.