80% infra work pending in Ghaziabad, discom hopes to finish it in one month

Ghaziabad: With summer around the corner, the power department is juggling between the completion of last financial year's infrastructure upgrades and the preparation for the upcoming summer. An official from the department said that nearly 80% of last year's repair works are pending but with the tendering process completed, the upgrades will be done by the end of March.Chief engineer of the power department zones 1 and 3 Pawan Aggarwal told TOI, "The delay is largely due to the late tendering processes. They were finalised only in Nov last year."
A Rs 278-crore budget had been sanctioned by Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) for FY 2025-26. Aggarwal said almost 90% of it has been spent and upgrade work is underway. Some of these include maintenance of 33/11 kV substations, protection systems on 33 kV and 11 kV power lines, replacement of dilapidated cables and transformers and capacity enhancement of low tension distribution transformers and procuring new transformers. The works have been done in parts of Vaishali, Indirapuram, Vasundhara and Loni. He said the district has set up a deadline of March 15 to complete preparations for the upcoming summer. "Both the works will continue simultaneously," he said.Last year, the district's power demand was recorded at 1800 MW. Officials expect the demand to increase by 400 MW this year. Aggarwal attributes this surge to higher air conditioning loads and 5% rise in industrial and commercial activities.