Every year on the eve of Sajibu Cheiraoba, there is always a religious function in my village. All the whole night Bhajan, Kirtan, singing are done at the temple of the village deity atop a small hill. From the top of the hill one can easily see the Imphal city in the southwesterly direction.

That night, on the request of my old friends and younger natives, I had got a rare chance to attend the ceremony. Curious to see the Imphal city at night, I went higher on a peak to see my Imphal.

What did I see there?

Oh! nothing except darkness, and darkness that enveloped in the whole valley. Though there was small spots of light in some areas, the whole city plunged into darkness as if it was slumbering peacefully.

Students are feeling the heat, not of the summer sun but of the ongoing examinations.

In spite of many appeals to give power supply during the nights of the examination days, reading in the glare of electric bulb becomes a rare opportunity for students and they have to return to the old saying 'burning the midnight oil' or more accurate 'burning the midnight candle'. When will Imphal wake in the night with all its usual activities as done in other States?

If Imphal can speak, she will say 'It depends on the power supply available to the city as well as in the entire State'.

Researchers have found that life expectancy, a crucial measure for national health is directly related to the per capita electric power use of the nation. Power is used for productivity as well as a means to spend life comfortably in the leisure hours.

The highest life expectancy of 80 years occurs in Japan. It is 60 years in India. The per capita electric power use in Japan is 22 times larger (or more) than per capita use in India. Then what about our State Manipur, are we going backward rather than moving forward.

Manipur has been facing an immense shortage of electric power with most part of the State reeling under darkness. For the last many years the State has been beset with power problems like power shortage, poor supply and unannounced load shedding.

With the increasing population and expanding families and use of more electronic gadgets like television, refrigerator, air-conditioner, electric heater etc the power demand has kept increasing year after year.

In 1990 the required power supply during peak hours was about 90 Megawatt. In 2000 it was increased to 110 MW and now the demand of power supply is about 145 MW during peak hour an overall increase of 35 MW in demand in the past five years. On the contrary, the Government has done nothing to improve power supply in Manipur except playing blame games to the consumers for not paying taxes.

The recent increase of load shedding frequencies is just an example that exposes the hollowness of the promises that the State Government made to the people.

The Chief Minister has said in the august House last week that the State expends Rs 9 crores to purchase power every month while the revenue collection is only about Rs 1.5 crores. There are about 75 thousand State Government employees at present.

A monthly tax of electric consumption charge of Rs 200 for 75,000 employees stand at Rs 1.5 crores. Then it can be assumed that the Government only succeed in forcing its employees to pay electric taxes regularly. It is also to remember here that it is the State Government employees who pay Electric bill at least twice in a calendar year to clear their January and July salaries.

There is no way of finding out whether the money the State employees paid to the officials of the electricity department as electric consumption charge is properly deposited to the Government or not. Jugglery of account is easy and the officials have also found interesting ways of making money sometimes by understating the taxes which they have taken from the consumers.

It is very much true that the availability of adequate power is the crucial index for the growth and development of a society. Yes, in our State also over 90 percent of the villages have got the power line network and there is atleast one electric transformer for every village. But the tragedy is that there is no current in the aluminium wire to illuminate far flung areas of Manipur.

In the run up to the elections, the candidates had promised to offer electric power supply line and transformer in case they were elected. Extension of electrification goes on and on without looking the supply of power available to the State and the system of tax collection. This leads to severe distortions as no attempt have been made to ensure efficient collection of revenues.

The only means for saving the present power crisis in the State will be setting up of an Electric Power Regulatory Authority or setting up of a Manipur State Electricity Board, an autonomous body to look mainly into the distribution of the available power supply and the collection of revenue.

The scenario is definitely grim and if the power crisis is any indication then an enormous task lies ahead for the Government to ensure adequate power supply. There is no proper management in power distribution and registration of valid consumers.

As a result what is happening here in free for all so far power supply to the consumers are concerned. When the power is on the line take as much you want for making a splurge.

Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on which side we stand, the power supplies are erratic and irregular.

No wonder, because, given the wastages, power theft and complete absence of a culture of paying taxes to recover the generation cost, the State Government is offering only its affordable power to the consumers.

At present the State is neither in a position to buy enough power nor keen on improving the quality of power supply. Then my lovely Imphal will be visible from the highlands in the full moon nights only sans electric light.