To switch off current thefts

[dropcap]N[/dropcap]aga society suffers from numerous maladies in spite of having so many positive descriptions not the least of which being “Land of Festivals.” An ongoing bad habit of the many is stealing power through unauthorized means whatever be the reasons(s). Nagas can be generous to a fault when it comes to personal whims and fancies. But when something involves the State as a whole, most of us tend to ignore the benefits that accrue due to the generosity of a welfare State such as ours. For instance, despite signs cautioning the public against defacing the walls of the NST bus stations and other public places with lime a good number of our travelers must soil the painted walls as though it is an affliction. Public toilets in the urban areas loudly proclaim on the walls the source of the benefactor be it through the graces of MGNREGA or LADP or some national bank or the other. The only sad thing is that there is no proper drainage or sewage system in any one of them and the toilets are saturated with human excreta thus nullifying the original good intentions. Recently, the Kohima district administration had passed an order prohibiting consumers from using heaters with the coil system as these consume excessive electricity thus adding to the burdens of an already beleaguered power department which is also hampered because the State provides electricity to the rural areas at 30 per cent subsidized rates and the bills are calculated through a common village meter. Since Nagaland’s population is 80 per cent rural based, this is no mean consideration. But the rural areas through the respective Village Electricity Management Board have not failed in payment of bills. From this it follows that the main defaulters and/or culprits are the remaining 20 per cent comprising the urban population who need to change their mindset. As it is, the state power department invests about Rs 200 crore annually for purchase of power while the revenue generated from consumers is Rs 80 crore. As such, it is facing a shortfall of Rs 120 crore annually due to rampant power theft. Besides this, the department is currently functioning with a 65 MVA transformer. The newly purchased 100 MVA transformer will function after two (or more) months. It is a positive move on the part of the Anti-Power Theft Mobile Squad (APTMS) in conjunction with the power department to aggressively intensify raids to switch off the menace of rampant power theft and tampering with power networks. APTMS was launched in the premises of the State Land Dispatch Centre (SLDC) Nagarjan, Dimapur by Parliamentary Secretary for Power Kipili Sangtam. The move was launched because approximately 40 pr cent of the total energy is pilfered through illegal or unauthorized means. The power department is also currently trying to repair or replace electric poles that are hanging precariously and pose a potential public hazard. However, financial constraints have put things on hold for the time being. In life wherever there is something positive, it cannot be said to be complete unless there is a negative aspect also. Newton’s third law of motion stipulates that to every action, there is equal and opposite reaction thus equalizing opposing factors. Even clouds have two currents, one with positive and the other with negative and when the two clash, it produces thunder claps and lightning simultaneously ,or so we think. But we actually see lightning first because it travels at the speed of light (186,000 miles per second) while we hear thunder a few seconds later because sound travels at the speed of only 12 miles per second. Best to heed the warning lights before it strikes with thunder and switch off unnecessary current.