Morung Express News
Dimapur | August 18
Power Minister Doshehe Y. Sema finally broke his silence, making his first public statement since the power shortage hit the masses of sweltering Dimapur and Peren districts. The electricity famine, and the Minister’s mute stance – verging on apathy - over the past months, had pricked at an already irritated populace frustrated over the government’s failure to provide regular supply of electricity.
The Minister called a hurriedly arranged press conference Saturday at Hotel Saramati, Dimapur prior to his departure for Bangalore. In Bangalore, Sema will be meeting with Naga students as well as the Chief Minister and the Home Minister of Karnataka followed by a national-level power related meeting in Delhi slated for August 21.
Clearly lost for words answering questions related to the ineptness of the Power department, the Minister was often caught finding it difficult to give convincing explanations to the problem at hand.
He did express his sympathy to the common man, who are facing the brunt of the crisis, admitting the situation “really is miserable”; while adding he himself has a tough time staying in Dimapur.
Finding dependable spares to take the place of the damaged 20 MVA transformer (put into service in 2001) as an interim measure is the immediate requirement now, he said. The highly anticipated 100 MVA transformer, said to cost around Rs. 14-15 crore, is a long term arrangement, he added. Asked when the new transmission equipment is expected to reach, he however could not provide a date. The order for the machine was placed towards the end of 2011 and it will not be until the end of the year, if not later, when it arrives, he added.
Stating power shortage is a national phenomenon, he attributed “mechanical failure (as a cause of the problem) and not human error”, while adding that the department is rendering service under difficult circumstances. Queried if the department has ever tried investigating the reasons and causes that might be hampering smooth supply of power, the Minister failed to give a convincing reply; rather choosing to digress from the question put forward.
On Saturday evening, one 500 KVA distribution transformer erected at Signal Angami village went kaput. An ox, grazing adjacent to the transformer had strayed dangerously close to the electrical equipment and was electrocuted. The transformer also got damaged blacking-out the surrounding localities drawing power from the transformer. It turned out that one side of the protective fencing around the transformer was missing; rising doubts on the standard of maintenance followed by the department.
The only good news which emerged out of the interaction with the Minister was that the 10 MVA transformer brought from Mokokchung, when put into circuit will lessen load-shedding to some extent. Fourteen to fifteen hours of power a day is expected when it starts running. There is however a question mark on the machine working without snags as it is an old machine left idle for quite some time now. A prepared press release handed to mediapersons present at the conference stated, “I therefore sincerely appeal to all affected consumers to cooperate with the department while assuring that stable power supply will be restored within a forth night,”
Further, the three 6.5 MVA transformers proposed to be shifted to Dimapur from Kiphire depends on the mercy of the weather.
Asked on the illegal siphoning of power across the border in Boro-Lengri, the Minister said that the higher-ups of the department have not received any complaint in this regard thus far; though it is an open secret. Quite a share of the power quota for a number of colonies falling along the inter-state border (starting from Naga Cemetery till Dilla check-post) goes to villages and localities falling under Karbi-Anglong, Assam in return for almost nil revenue as against the amount of power drained off.
The department however claimed otherwise while explaining that the amount of power supplied out is negligible. The drained power come to no more than ‘single point’ lines per transformer, for which the consumers across the border are billed, a department official explained.
The minister was further asked why it took him so long to come up with a public statement or conference explaining the reasons behind the crisis. To this, he replied that he may have kept quiet but not unconcerned. His explanation can be summarized thus as - working behind the scenes trying to hammer out solutions to the problem in tandem with the department.
He also outlined some power related projects which are on the planning stage. He disclosed that a road map for comprehensive power distribution system for Nagaland is under proposal, which is with the World Bank for financial backing. It includes a network of two high tension transmission lines (220 KVA and 132 KVA lines) connecting important mineral-rich regions of the state. The 14 mega watts Dikhu hydro project, as always, is still under planning stage, awaiting clearance from the Central government.
