Solar Power to run telecom towers
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: May 14 2011 -
The government of India's decision to depend on solar power to run, to the maximum possible extent, the hundreds of thousands of telecom towers in the country deserves praise.
India's ever increasing demand for energy is almost insatiable and with the political need to subsidise energy cost, the burden on the national exchequer is almost at break point.
Coupled with this is the fact that the population increase, annually, is almost the same as the total population of Australia.
One can now see the enormity of the task of the planners and architects of growth. And then again, we depend so much on non-renewable sources for our energy requirements.
At the rate things are going, it is only a matter of time before we run out of ideas and resources. It is seen from this context that the present move to depend on an alternative source of energy deserves much credit.
In Manipur's case this decision of the Government of India is even more significant. Though the telecom tower operators buy diesel to run their towers, the act has a direct bearing on the local economy.
Manipur has an unstable economy with the dubious distinction of possibly being the only state in the country with an unwavering climb in inflation rate.
The vast numbers of pressure groups demanding their pound of flesh force an ever rising inflationary trend. One believes, that at the small end of the local economy's spectrum, running the telecom towers with solar energy will help stabilise price rise to an extent.
This will bring a big relief to consumers, the majority of whom operate their mobile phones with the barest minimum expenditure.
The big question now is, supposing it turns out that the running of telecom towers becomes a success, then what?
Are we on the brink of a modified form of scare tactics?
Will it become a common place happening that solar panels and or batteries get whisked away time and again?
Or worse, if they are riveted strongly will they be smashed to smithereens, or even worse, if equipment cannot be used as bargain chips, will caretakers have to face the ire?
Of course these are only possibilities, but yet, they have to be mulled over.
We live in difficult times and there are unpleasant surprises at every corner.
What could be a blessing can easily turn out to be a nightmare, and one only hopes that the day will not come when telecom service providers get tired and weary of replacing solar panels.
Till then let us keep our fingers crossed.
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