In the dark
Punjab, Haryana groping on power front

THE inadequacy of rain is adding worry lines to the foreheads of not only farmers but of all sections of society. In the absence of sufficient precipitation, the demand for power has skyrocketed, but supply lags far behind. As a result, long power cuts are being witnessed both in Punjab and Haryana. The worst hit are the small scale units, which are on the verge of closure in cities from Ludhiana to Panipat and Jalandhar to Yamunanagar. Production is hit, and many of the employees find their jobs on the chopping block. That is a sorry state of affairs and can cause acute social unrest in the days to come.

The crisis has not emerged just due to the miserliness of rain gods. In fact, it is more man-made. Governments have been busy pursuing populist policies without caring to increase power production adequately. After all, headlines are obtained more by announcing free power supply to certain sections rather than augmenting generation. The result is that almost the whole region is grappling with scheduled as well as unscheduled power shutdowns.

Even when power is supplied, it is either of low voltage or with voltage fluctuations. In Punjab, full one-third of the total electricity is being wasted in transmission and distribution but hardly any attempt has been made to curb pilferage. As a result, most industries are having to go in for captive power, which increases the production cost of various goods sharply. It is a pity that despite being fully aware of the shortage, the governments have been overly liberal in sanctioning tubewell connections. Electricity is thus being taken away from the paying sector to the non-paying sector. Punjab has a 20 per cent gap between supply and demand. Haryana’s situation is equally bad. Electricity is the driving force behind almost all activities of human life. States will be ignoring this fact only at their own peril