Karnataka on a power trip

ACCORDING TO the ‘Times of India’ (dated July 24), the newspaper that I take, power blackouts in the state of Karnataka are to get longer. Bangaloreans ‘who are already facing four-hour power cuts will have to brace for a 5-7 hour load shedding per day. It is worse in rural areas: this would mean 12-18 hour blackouts for them’. This is an understatement. Being a resident of Bangalore city, I can say with confidence that the truth is much worse. Every hour of power supply is followed by two hours of power outage, in the aggregate. At the most, power supply is available for eight hours out of 24 hours! Even after 9pm, power outage is enforced.

The state’s power minister said in the assembly on Wednesday (July 23) that the government had decided to shed 20 per cent load in July and 25 per cent load in August. This explains why I called the newspaper report an understatement. The minister implies that 20 per cent of load-shedding is equivalent to making power available for eight hours; thus, 25 per cent of load-shedding implies that power will be made available for six hours. On its part, the electricity supply company, viz, Bescom, admitted that it would roughly translate into five to seven power cuts per day.

The government though is yet to announce the load-shedding calendar. But people already know that what the calendar says will be an understatement. Commenting on the energy situation in the state, Principal Secretary (Energy) Jairaj told an all-party meeting that the demand had risen to 116 million units but the state could mobilise 100 million units at the maximum. The projected average deficit from October 2008 to May 2009 was 700 MW, assuming a 5 per cent growth in energy consumption.

The meeting, convened to find a solution to the power and fertiliser crises and Hogenakkal remained inconclusive (as usual). It is understandable given the fact that there can be no solution to it. As far as power is concerned, presently the government has to buy it by paying cash down. But it has no money, given its profligate spending; nor will it have money in future (vide, ‘Karnataka budget: Core sector ignored’ and ‘Karnataka Budge today’). After the meeting, chief minister BS Yeddyurappa (BSY) said he would convene another meeting with opposition leaders on the issue. He said that nothing had been decided as yet. After the second meeting, a statement would be made in the assembly.

Well, this is not the first time the state is facing power crisis. Such crises have arisen before. But the government is yet to learn from past mistakes. Reduced availability of hydel power and hampered coal supplies due to poor transportation linkages are the major reasons for this state of affairs. But failure of monsoons is not something unheard of in the Indian context. With regard to the monsoons, the government has to ‘expect the unexpected’. Since trade and industry in particular has come to depend upon generators given the dismal power supply, power outage has triggered diesel shortage too. It is time the government gave up profligate spending and wisely invested in power infrastructure. Hopefully, it will not resort to provision of colour TVs to the ‘poorest of the poor’. The latter cannot watch it when most of the time there is power outage.