Power crisis : A dark blot on Manipur
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: May 23 , 2014 -

It was not against any grenade attack, neither against any abduction nor rape.

Again, it was not against any act of excesses committed by security personnel nor was it against any acts of human rights violation which are quite common in Manipur.

It was against cutting off power supply.

A few days back, womenfolk of Nambol Kha Jiri came out to streets and staged a protest demonstration against cutting power supply to the area for more than three months.

It was a very rare protest demonstration of its kind. Keeping thousands of people without power supply for more than three months is an intolerable torture. In this cyber age, electricity is as much essential as food, water and air.

But the bitter truth is; only air is available aplenty in Manipur.

With the exception of VVIPs, VIPs and some well connected super rich, electricity is available just four hours a day.

Life without electricity is simply unthinkable. It was not hyperbole when the protesters of Nambol Kha Jiri said they were pushed to dark age in the total absence of power supply for months.

Denial of power supply even for a couple of hours a day is gross human rights violation. For years, Manipur as a whole has been reeling under acute power crisis.

But the successive Governments simply refused to acknowledge the reality for they belong to the privileged class and are not affected by the power crisis.

The Government woke up to the reality only during the ongoing third term of Chief Minister O Ibobi, after a PIL was filed at Court seeking adequate power supply to the general public.

The Chief Minister took charge of Power Department in his third term which has now been unbundled into two separate companies.

This time the Chief Minister seems determined to tackle the power crisis which has been besieging Manipur for the past many years, and he has already set into motion certain reformative and restructuring measures starting with introduction of pre-paid power meter system and corporatization of power department.

There may be many practical problems and physical difficulties for ensuring regular power supply. Still we believe a right dose of political will can overcome all these deterrents.

One common counter argument put up invariably against the Government’s failure to provide regular power supply is sheer large number of unauthorised connections and consumers’ unwillingness to pay power bills in time.

This counter argument sounds paradoxical and it does not need any reminder that it’s the Government’s duty to collect power bills in time. Introduction of pre-paid system has done away with the big problem of power theft and accumulation of power bills for months and years.

To resolve the power crisis, the Government may either introduce pre-paid system throughout the State.

In case it is not in a position to do so, it must go for some dramatic reforms as a matter of urgency.

The state has to augment the shortfall in the availability of power to meet the peak demand. To meet future growth in demand, Government of Manipur may have to start own generation units as the allocation from Central Sector Generating Stations (CSGS) can no longer meet our demand.

The Government of Manipur should explore the possibility of harnessing the hydro potential of the state. The existing power infrastructure has to be revamped and upgraded on war footing to cater to the present peak demand as well as future growth.

Immediate steps should be taken to reduce 70 per cent Aggregate Technical and Commercial (AT&C) losses which may be highest power losses in the world.

Regularisation of all unauthorised consumers should be done on priority basis as they are the main reason for commercial losses. For rural electrification community billing system may be introduced.

This system is working quite well in Nagaland.

With regard to denial of power supply to Nambol Kha Jiri for more than three months because of transformer break down, we would suggest the Government, "Axe the officials concerned".

The Government must understand power crisis in the technology driven 21st century is humanitarian crisis.