Power utility CESC has this year received 4,696 applications from Durga Puja organisers.
The number stood at 5,208 last year. The application window is still open and many organisers apply in the nick of time, said a CESC official.
“The number goes up by 100 to 150 every year. The application window opened on August 28 and is still open,” said Avijit Ghosh, the utility’s executive director.
CESC supplies power to Calcutta and parts of neighbouring districts like Howrah, Hooghly and North and South 24-Parganas.
Calcutta means the areas covered by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
“The count of Calcutta-based Pujas was 2,177 last year. This year, in Calcutta, we have already received 2,036 applications,” said Ghosh.
He was speaking at a news conference at Vidyut Bhavan, the state power department’s headquarters, in the presence of power minister Aroop Biswas, power secretary Santanu Basu and senior officials of the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL).
Minister Biswas said the number of Durga Pujas and the power demand had surged.
“In 2011, we received applications from 20,970 Pujas. In 2023, the number was 47,275. It is a 125 per cent rise. In 2011, the Puja power demand across the state was pegged at 210MW. Last year, it was 1,107MW, a rise of 427 per cent,” said Biswas.
Going by the applications received so far, the number is expected to be between 48,500 and 49,000, said officials of the SEDCL.
Last year, the peak single-day power demand in the state was 9,252MW on Chaturthi (October 18). This year, the peak-day demand is expected to reach 10,400MW, they said.
At the news conference, Biswas said his department will have over 70,000 people and 3,300 mobile vans working 24X7 to manage the Puja rush.
“We will have 200 emergency mobile patrol vans round the clock and 100 additional repair teams deployed at strategic locations. More than 6,000 employees will be on duty,” said Ghosh of CESC.
Control rooms will be operational 24X7, at Bidyut Bhavan and CESC headquarters, for Durga Puja. The numbers are 8900793503 and 8900793504 for SEDCL and 9831079666 and 9831083700 for the CESC.
The CESC helplines will be operational from 9am to 5pm till Mahalaya (October 2) and 24X7 thereafter.
The CESC’s usual helpline of 1912 will also be functional.
The state power utility on Wednesday launched a separate WhatsApp number, 8433719121. It can be used for a host of services — bill-related information, payment of bills and downloading copies and application for fresh connections.