With the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) asking the Supreme Court to allow a regulated power loadshedding in the national capital, citing the two major power suppliers - Reliance ADAG's BSES Yamuna and Rajdhani - of not paying for the power they purchase for distribution, has intensified war of words between the two parties.
Senior advocate K K Venugopal who is representing NTPC said on Thursday that though the companies were run by one of the richest industrialists in India, they had not paid a penny since March 26 in blatant violation of apex court's orders. According to NTPC, the two BSES companies owe nearly Rs 800 crore.
"Nearly 75% of the payments received from these two firms go to Coal India Ltd from which NTPC buys coal. If the two companies do not pay, NTPC's Badarpur thermal plant will not be able to supply electricity to Delhi. Please vacate the interim order directing us to continue supplying power to Delhi. We want to start regulated cuts in power supply," said Venugopal.
Countering NTPC's stand, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi who appeared for BSES said that the companies had invested Rs 15,000 crore not in charity but in business and it must be allowed to recover its legitimate dues. He suggested a plan for recovery of the dues along with carrying cost.
The Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) also left BSES red faced when senior advocate Meet Malhotra accused to have discovered huge discrepancies in the accounts of the BSES companies and apprehended that the demand for Rs 5,200 crore might have been inflated and for which the Reliance company is asking for hike in power tariffs in the national capital.
Rohatgi said that BSES had cleared most of the dues and NTPC's demands were unjustified. The bench asked the counsel for NTPC and BSES to sort out the discrepancies in claims of payments by Monday on their own and posted the matter for further hearing for Tuesday.
According to the latest weather update by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, it is just the start of May and summer heat will further tighten its grip over Delhi wherein above 40 degrees temperatures will increase the energy consumption manifold and power cuts during those days will hit the Delhiites hard.
