Pre-Paid Power supply in Imphal
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Sobhapati Samom

Imphal, December 05 2011: Power starved Manipur would perhaps become the first state of the country to have "Pre-Paid" power supply mechanism once the state electricity department make operational the new mechanism early next year to control misuse of energy and power theft.

"We've already completed laying of underground cables", says an official of Manipur electricity department.

"We will start distributing and fixing electric meters system within two months, as supplies had already arrived recently" .

The department targets to introduce the new mechanism to the consumers of the city's core area--Paona Bazar, Thangal Bazar and Khoyathong having around 2828 consumers, in the first phase though it targets to cover the entire city area and beyond in the forthcoming phases, he added.

The new pre-payment mechanism will certainly help both the suppliers and consumers in controlling power misuse too.

Having inadequate power supply, checking of power theft becomes all the more imperative as the state has a shortfall of 80 MW to 90 MW in peak hour requirement in winter, forcing the residents to receive four hours of power during the daytime and regular load shedding every alternate days.

"Getting 4 hours of power in the day time unlike last year's 3 hours indicates that the state's power scenario has improved," claims T Raghumani, Superintending Engineer (Transmission) .

"One reason behind this is because of the drive against power theft last year." Around 60 individuals were jailed during the drive.

But the state hopes that once the additional power supply from � 2000MW Lower Subansiri (Arunachal Pradesh), 750MW Bongaigaon (Assam) and Palatana (Tripura) comes, its power woes would be minimised.

"So the authority is taking up power supply lines construction works from the Jiribam side (Manipur-Assam border)", the Engineer added.

"I think it will take sometime to complete it." The construction work is scheduled to be completed by 2012 .

Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh had also talk about the operation of pre-payment power supply mechanism in the state responding to a reporter's query during a Maphou Dam inspection programme in March last year.

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