Editorial
These frequent power failures
Focus must be on curbing systems loss
A government committee has decided that as many as 15,000 bulbs and airconditioners will be withdrawn from the Secretariat as an austerity measure. The decision was obviously made in light of the on-going crisis in the power sector. The move will be appreciated by everyone concerned about the waste of public resources, especially at the level of the government. The question that we must now deal with, though, is why these bulbs and airconditioners were there in the first place, particularly after a decision in May last year to have them removed. The stark truth, as we understand, is that these extra facilities were indeed withdrawn but were later surreptitiously re-installed. It is sheer wastage of taxpayers' money. Now, if the move to put a stop to such wastage is truly implemented, the country will surely stand to benefit to a significant extent.
Professor M. Tamim, special assistant to the Chief Adviser, has sought to reassure the country that efforts are on to ensure regular power supply despite all the existing limitations. Much as we appreciate his words, the fact remains that we have heard all this before. At this point, we need to ask a simple question: where and what is the outcome of all such efforts to improve the power supply? Professor Tamim sees a ray of light in the fact that the 100-150 megawatts of electricity supplied to the agricultural sector will soon return to the existing supply system. But that still does not hold out much promise for the country. With the countrywide demand for electricity now being 5,000 megawatts and the production being only 3,600-3,800 megawatts, one does not need much wisdom to know why the country is going through the unceasing spate of load-shedding.
Indeed, power outages at present have reached such a critical stage that every section of the population is paying a price. In steamy weather, students have been unable to focus on their studies, businesses have been sputtering along in candlelight and industry has been going through bad hiccups. Household appliances like computers and refrigerators are under threat of going out of order. At the same time, a combination of hot weather and power failure has been threatening the health of people, many of whom have fallen prey to heat strokes. Let us not at the same time ignore the losses resulting from unathorised electricity connections, which only lead to a horrendous systems loss.
No one expects a miracle to happen for the power sector to improve its performance. But surely some concrete measures, as opposed to a mouthing of platitudes, are called for. A strong emphasis on tackling wastage, in both government departments and private enterprises, has now become an absolute necessity. The CA's special assistant has asked citizens to practise austerity. The more important requirement is for the government to ensure that such austerity is in place --- at shopping malls, wedding receptions, government offices, et al.
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