The recent months have experienced power outages in many parts of the state. On a year when the monsoon rains are considered abundant in the Nagaland and the neighbouring states it is ironic that the state of Nagaland faces electricity power crisis. Except for Dimapur district and a few other townships on the plains, power crises is not common during the summer months in the hill areas unless there are storms and landslides. This year’s power crises may be coincidental but there have been too many power shutdowns in the recent months. There were genuine case of lines snapping, jungle clearing and genuine breakdowns too. From the month of July and till October there has to be a surplus of power in the state during off-peak hours as per the department’s own admission. However the recent outages indicate that all is not well in the power sector of the state. The recent disclosure by the local tribal student and youth bodies, the AKM and the MTLT that the maintenance of the department is borne out of the contribution of the employees was shocking. There is no smoke without fire and so the statement by the youth bodies is an indicator to a bigger problem that the department is going through at present. There has been no clarification from the higher-ups in the department or from the minister in-charge till date. There also is a genuine need to replace all the power transformers in the plains especially Dimapur since during peak hours most of the transformers are overloaded. With fund allocations that only government knows best, the department officials at times has to resort to transfer and exchange of transformers from one location to the other as a last resort. This disparity in allocation of power transformers were also created earlier as it indicates it was done on influence and not on requirement basis. The power department also continues to deduct money on every bill for street lighting but the streets of Nagaland are still devoid of street lights save for the solar lamps, a few high mast lights in the capital and the experimental LEDs in some areas. Many of these were also installed by voluntary organisations and not by the government. The municipal bodies on the other hand makes it compulsory to all establishment and houses on the side of the road to install one lamp outside. So the consumers end up paying more though they pay a monthly fixed amount for street lights. With the continued problems faced by the public, there have been incidences of outrage and the poor department officials and the field workers have to bear the brunt of the government’s inactivity. It is time that the government wake up from the slumber and expedite the restructuring of the power infrastructure in the state.
