The erratic power supply in our state is nothing new and needs no highlight. Nagaland must be the worst effected state in the country to be still reeling under such an inferior and bad power supply in this age. It would not be wrong to say that we are still living like in those medieval ages without any proper power supply for most of the time in this peak summer. Ever since I was born I haven’t come across any day, month or season that an electric current does not goes off here. When there is even a slight drizzle, the current goes off. When there is even little breeze the current goes off. When it is dry season there is an excuse of water shortage in the dams, when it is summer there is excuse power of overload due to high demand. Will we have a normal supply like any other place ever in our lifetime? Our technocrats and officials blame only the public of not paying their electric bills on time or hooking current etc. but allotting meter boxes and connection should also be on time. Though the power tariff has been enhanced yet the power supply is not improving at all. While on the other hand the disgruntled and the poor public suffers each passing day in this intense heat without any current for hours and sometimes even for days. The rich people live comfortably inside their luxurious AC houses with their big generators with little or no botheration while the middle class and the poor people are the worst hit. Those who cannot afford generators and inverters are the pathetic lot. Even inverter batteries runs out as current continue to be shut out for several hours at a stretch. Old people, sick patients and little children are the most suffered lot. We cannot even let our children study in peace in this heat due to these power outages as water pours out from our bodies in few seconds. Foods in the refrigerators get spoiled as there is no current. Most of the time the power supply are shut down right from the early morning hours when people wake up eagerly to switch on their motor pumps but the current starts playing truant right from there. So washing, cleaning and cooking becomes almost impossible. Voltage is so low that water cannot be even pumped out from an ordinary motor pump. So where do we get the most basic necessity –water? To send our children to school without doing all these becomes a nightmare. It is of my earnest appeal to the power department authorities not to cut off power supply during the early morning hours. As even if you restore the current back in the daytime the low voltage does not allow the motor-pump to pull out water. Some poor churches that cannot afford generators have a very hard time conducting services. Transformers bursting, power-lines snapping, sparks in light posts are all common sight. Replacement of out-dated equipments and purchase of sub-standard goods should be stopped immediately. Transformers should also be updated and replaced according to the requirement of a locality. The businesses people are also badly affected as most business is run by power and without proper power supply they incur heavy losses but have to just bear the brunt on all these with no solution in sight .Some shops should also be allotted only limited supply as even during daytime they put on several dozens of lights in the daytime when the town is suffering acute shortage of power. It should be made mandatory for shopping malls, big complexes to acquire transformers. It is not only about paying but supervising the use of power judiciously. Street lamps and bulbs are seen switched on till daytime in many places which should be stopped. Doyang,Likimro and other projects should also provide enough supply to our own state even though we supply to others outside state. It is high time our power department should harness our streams and rivers and make our little state self–sufficient in power. The public should also be judicious and wise in using electricity and think about others. Unnecessary electrical equipments and gadgets should not be used. There are some rich people’s mansions and buildings that use more electricity than an entire village or a colony. So it is not only about paying the bills but allotting according to the population wise or house wise too. The most famous excuse of the power department is not being able to generate the required revenue. As technocrats and qualified people with assigned duties, the power department should also find ways to address this problem to make our Nagaland a better and a comfortable place to live instead of always passing the buck. Why should all the regular bill payers continue to suffer? It is a great shame that when so many private kingdoms are built over the state, we cannot still have a proper power supply in this age.
Salang Imchen
