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Journalism of Courage
In the end, Delhiites were allowed to shop after dark. Last week, on Friday, the Delhi government responded to the acute power crisis in north India by formulating long and stern guidelines. They ordered shops to shut down around 7 pm, they told offices and residences exactly when air-conditioners were to be switched off, and they asked industrial units to cancel a shift. On the day after, better sense prevailed and the city government reverted to soft paternalism. Compliance, it was clarified, would be voluntary. But just as a reminder to every citydweller’s conscience, neon lights would still be turned off.
It is yet another reminder that on meeting the country’s electricity requirements, governments continue to grope in the dark. Word is now out that the capital at least will draw power from different sources to bridge some of its shortfall. But it will not just be cynics who know that next summer we will be back to these contingency measures. Here’s how grave things are. In estimates drawn from the first two weeks of April — that is, even before the fiercest phase of summer — the nine northern states suffered peak power shortages of 3765 MW. For the corresponding periods in 2004 and 2005, that figure stood at 1450 MW and 1600 MW, respectively. The result is obvious. Certainly, people are put through great — and sometimes debilitating — discomfort. But power shortages also are an economic drag. When industrial units are withheld from or advised against working at peak capacity, losses of profits and to livelihoods are bound to follow. Urban centres like Delhi also have increasing number of service industries that work 24/7 to fulfil international commitments. And when the daily transactions of communities are hindered, besides the economic losses, there results an inevitable estrangement from the government.
Solutions are obvious. Cutting transmission losses — by some accounts, the national average is as high as 40 per cent, compared to just 3 per cent in China. Investing in significant power projects. Rationalising tariffs and subsidies. Trouble is: solutions may be obvious, but they demand immense political will and financial commitment. But here’s the rub. In their absence, next summer could be even worse.
