Aheli Moitra
The Economic Times reported in June this year that for the first time in history, India will not have a power deficit in 2016-17. A report from the Central Electricity Authority, however, notes that among the North Eastern states, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura face energy shortages “partly on account of constraints in transmission, sub-transmission and distribution system.” Of these states, Nagaland has the least deficit at 2.2%.
This basically means that the supply of energy to Nagaland State is almost at par with its requirement. The Power Department of the Government of Nagaland acknowledged in February this year that the State deposits about Rs. 1000 crore per quarter to the central government by way of power purchase.
Yet, over the period of only this year, Mokokchung, Phek, Kiphire districts have faced acute power shortage while electricity has been debilitating urban life in the State’s commercial capital, Dimapur. And this is the story of those areas that are in the news—other districts not well covered by the news media face a literal black out.
The Morung Express has done a series of stories on the reasons that plague the power sector in Nagaland. The primary problem lies with the distribution mechanism. So, while Kiphire, for instance, may be connected to a 132 KV power line, its on-ground electricity distribution setup is in shambles, resulting in power outage for extended intervals running into weeks. Employees of the Power Department have stated that electric lines, poles, wires, transformers and other infrastructure all over the State are collapsing—they have become impossible to maintain. With the demand for electric power in Nagaland rising at 10% per annum, the distribution system has no way to cater to it.
Amidst all this, the State’s Legislative Assembly has been facing a short circuit situation. Against a required budget of Rs. 265 crore for operations and maintenance, the 2016-17 State budget allocated Rs. 12 crore to the power sector—4.5% of the total requirement.
People fare no better. For instance, it is common for households to tamper with electric meters, hiring local electricians to plug into the main line to operate multiple air conditioners without paying for their usage. There is no sense of responsibility towards the State, the people or the neighbourhood.
The current situation has so many lose ends, the power sector must start from scratch. If the budget is too low to do any actual maintenance, it is better to spend the given resources on educating the public on saving energy and paying up for what is used. A sense of accountability and responsibility towards the larger community will, in turn, generate resources. Parallel to this, the State Government needs to realise that it cannot build industries and smart cities (and hypothetical jobs and economy) on a collapsing foundation. This also applies to building a strong future polity—if future leaders have to educate and empower themselves in the darkness, their collective future may not be very bright. Other current stories may be shared at moitramail@yahoo.com
