Power sector game

However, by alluding to pressing circumstances and dire needs, the decision makers can hardly absolve themselves of the blame they ought to take for keeping the energy sector in a dire state. By taking an ad-hoc measure, which is rather punishing in nature, they have actually sidetracked the principal question of mending the fault lines of the power sector and developing it to meet the ever growing demand. The evening ban on power use could be a big blow to trade and business. It could have been justified if all other possibilities of improving the supply situation were tried out and exhausted. But that is not really the situation.

There are many areas where improvement is called for. To begin with, illegal connections still account for draining of a substantial amount of electricity. If these were eliminated, there would have been megawatts of electricity saved for supply to the consumers. All aspects of the debilitating systems loss like pilferage, technical leaks and wastage etc have to be addressed.

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Then, addition to the power generation system has been more a matter of projection than reality. Even the projects in the pipeline are taking an unusually long time to be on the ground, thanks to the bureaucratic procrastination and alleged corruption at different levels. These are precisely the issues that the government should try to resolve in order to streamline the power generation and distribution systems.

The shortage of power supply is nothing new. According to the projection made about five years ago, the country was going to face acute power shortage unless new generation plants were built. But the present situation does indicate that the decision makers could not solve the problem despite knowing very well what was coming up. They should concentrate on ensuring regular and uninterrupted supply of electricity, instead of resorting to measures of tokenism.