Light on the past
We shone the light on our past and these were the gems that
shone the brightest.
The first ray of light
The first demonstration of electric light in Calcutta was conducted
on 24 July, 1879 by P W Fleury & Co. This was followed by another
demonstration by Dey Sil & Co. On 30 June, 1881, 36 electric
lights lit up the Mackinnon & Mackenzie Company's Garden Reach
Cotton Mills.
1899: the year of light
1899 was a year to remember in many ways. Calcutta was still
the capital of India, the second city of the British Empire.
Lord Curzon held sway over a city that boasted of such luminaries
as Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda. Then, in April
of that year, the first thermal power plant of The Calcutta
Electric Supply Corporation Limited was commissioned.
Let there be light
The Government of Bengal passed the Calcutta Electric Lighting
Act in 1895. The first license was for a period of 21 years
and covered an area of 5.64 square miles, an area which has
now grown to 567 square kilometres.
An electrifying opportunity
On 7 January, 1897 Kilburn & Co secured the Calcutta electric
lighting licence as agents of The Indian Electric Co Ltd. which
was registered in London on 15 January, 1897 with a capital
of £1000. A month later, the Company changed its name
to The Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation Limited and enhanced
its capital to £1,00,000. The issue was over-subscribed
the very first day it was opened.
The first mover advantage
A Newspaper reported on 6 December, 1898, that on a trial basis
electricity was being supplied to the Bank of Bengal (now the
State Bank of India), The Bengal Club on Chowringhee and several
private residences. An advertisement released by F & C Osler
& Co announced that the firm was ready to take on 'the installing
of electric light in Calcutta' for houses and commercial establishments.
Newspapers also reported that the Electric Supply Corporation
is "spending 100,000 pound sterling" for the electric lighting
of the town. "Mains have been laid for the supply of 60,000
lamps, which can be increased to 200,000. The supply will be
continuous throughout the twenty-four hours and each day, and
is well-adapted for working punkahs."
The plant in Emambaugh Lane "consists of three boilers of 500
horse-powers which can be extended to 800 horse-powers, if desired,
with eight dynamos and a storage battery... The chimney will
be the highest in Calcutta, being 40 ft. higher than the water
works chimney which is close by."
The electrified one
The first generating station was erected at Emambagh Lane, near
Princep Street, which was commissioned on 17 April, 1899, heralding
the beginning of thermal power generation in India. The electrification
of Calcutta took place 17 years after New York, which boasted
of electricity in 1882 and eleven years after London, which
was electrified in 1888. In Calcutta the initial rate per unit
of power was Rupee 1, the price being the same as in London.
What Calcutta thinks today, rest think tomorrow
Bombay followed closely, inspired by the success of electricity
in Calcutta. In November 1900, it was reported: "The Commissioners
of the Corporation have recommended that a concession for 42
years be granted to Messrs. Killick Nixon and Company, as agents
of Messrs. Kilburn and Company of Calcutta, to provide the required
electric power for the city on terms laid down in the Calcutta
Electric License Act of 1896."
Light for the Lord
A month after the commissioning of the Emambagh Lane power house,
a decision was taken on 19 May 1899 to have electric connection
at the Government House, with the stipulation that the job must
be complete before the Viceroy Lord Curzon returns to Calcutta
from his official tour of north India.
Winds of change
When power supply started, it was thought that electric energy
might be used for ventilating, powering purposes and lighting.
But no one imagined that the days of hand - pulled punkah were
over. The popularity of the electric fan ensured immediate success
for Calcutta Electric Supply and provided the 'day load', essential
to the economic working of an electric supply station. Kilburn
& Co on behalf of The Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation released
an advertisement on 6 May, 1899 quoting Rs. 18 for hiring of
one electric fan 'used day and night' and the supply of electricity.
Fans of justice
The Calcutta High Court decided on 19 August 1899 to opt for
electric fans instead of punkahs with the hope that the job
should be complete next year. The Government sanctioned Rs.15000
to replace punkahs at Fort William on 28 May 1902. A month earlier,
the Government owned Army Clothing Factory at Alipore decided
to bring electricity at a cost of Rs.19000.
A healthy ride
Calcutta Tramways switched to electricity from horse drawn carriages
in 1902. A medical man went on record saying that 'electric
trams are of great benefit to the health of a great city ...
Electric trams cause ozone to be generated in small quantities
from morning to night, so that the air is being purified all
the time.'
Comfort for Calcutta
Calcuttans started the use of 8 watt and later 25-watt electric
bulbs. On the heels of ceiling fans, table fans arrived on the
scene. F & C Osier was soon advertising electric irons at Rs
35 and Rs 40. Refrigerators arrived, with a Frigidaire cabinet
advertised at Rs 750 and Frost Coils at Rs 520. People soon
found it hard to imagine an existence without electricity.
The path of light
Harrison Road (now Mahatma Gandhi Road) was the first Calcutta
street to be lit by electricity between 1889 and 1892. Kilbum
and Company used dynamos set up at Halliday Street pumping station.
The municipal consultant was none other than Dr. Jagadish Chandra
Bose. . Goodbye to loadshedding.
The 135MW Southern Generating Station brought an end to the
horror of loadshedding which plagued the city of Calcutta since
1961. The first unit commenced supply in September, 1990, followed
by the second unit in May, 1991.
Calcutta on top
In 1997, The Sunday Times of India gave the highest rating to
CESC's Calcutta - 10 out of 10 on the power position, when compared
to other metropolitan cities of India
Thousands to millions in a hundred
CESC's responsibility to consumers has grown over a hundred
years. 6,000 consumers used 12 million units of power in 1912
and today the number of CESC consumers has already crossed 2.3
million. CESC and the city have grown together.
