What the media elsewhere thinks of India blackout

It had all the makings of a disaster movie: More than half a billion people without power. Trains motionless on the tracks. Miners trapped underground. Subway lines paralyzed. Traffic snarled in much of the national capital…

For a country considered a rising economic power,Blackout Tuesday which came only a day after another major power failure was an embarrassing reminder of the intractable problems still plaguing India: inadequate infrastructure,a crippling power shortage and,many critics say,a yawning absence of governmental action and leadership.

The Guardian

Free elections excuse political class from providing basics

To leave one in 20 people on the globes surface without electricity,that lifeblood of modern society,in the hairdryer heat of an Indian summer is unfortunate. To do it again to one in 12 of the worlds population a day later is an unpardonable carelessness…

Power,so vital for growth,is Indias biggest bottleneck. It is a paradox that in China unelected leaders are careful to provide the masses with material benefits such as electricity,water and roads because they legitimise dictatorship. Whereas in India,democracy allows just the opposite: free elections excuse the political class from providing the basics of life to the masses who have elected them.

The Wall Street Journal

Capping a surreal day,PM gave an effective promotion to Power Minister

For a nation that sees itself as an emerging global power,the event was a huge embarrassment. It put on vivid display,for Indians and the world,how rickety the countrys basic infrastructure is. And it could further tarnish the perception of India among foreign companies who have long viewed the countrys outdated roads,ports and power networks as major drawbacks of doing business here…

Capping a surreal day when the power outage dominated cable news channels which continued to broadcast for the benefit of those who still had power Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave an effective promotion to Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde,on whose watch the blackouts have occurred. Mr Shinde was named the next home minister…

The Washington Post

Destroyed any hope of a brighter future wthout improvement in governance

The crisis sharpened fears about Indias failure to invest in the infrastructure needed to support its rapidly growing economy,in sharp contrast to neighboring China. It also destroyed any lingering hope that the nations entrepreneurial spirit and vibrant private sector could somehow deliver a significantly brighter future without a dramatic improvement in the way the country is governed…

Along with a lack of investment in infrastructure,the crisis also had roots in many of Indias familiar failings: the populist tone of much of its politics,rampant corruption and poor management in its government and public sector,weak law enforcement,and a maze of regulations that restrict many industries.

Financial Times

A hole at the heart of Indias economy

There is a hole at the heart of Indias economy. And since the lights dont seem to work,the nation risks falling into it. Power outages on a gargantuan scale have crippled the country this week,disrupting economic activity. The problem is not simply one of lack of investment…

The trouble is,the sectors economics do not add up. Fuel suppliers such as Coal India and gas producers are unable to produce enough to keep the power stations fed. So power generators must resort to expensive imports. That pushes up input prices. Yet electricity tariffs are capped for consumers,meaning that electricity suppliers sell their product at a loss. No wonder Indias state power utilities have debts of Rs 3 trillion. And they are expected to treble their losses over the next three years.

The economics are only going to get worse…. New loans to the sector have been used to fund incremental losses instead of for productive purposes. The resulting risk of default by power generators is putting an enormous strain on Indias banks,threatening funding….

…A functioning electricity supply is essential for any economy,especially one with Indias growth pretensions. Without far-reaching reform,Indians will continue to work in the dark.