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| …And the power is off | | | | Nothing has been seen evaporating so fast like a recent euphoria gave way to disappointments within a period of two to three weeks. Ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visit to the state earlier this month to inaugurate the Baglihar hydro-electric project, there was a huge euphoria and probably misplaced joy that commissioning of this project will usher Jammu and Kashmir into a new era. Even the newspapers, including this one, were flooded with reports, analysis, commentaries and editorials on how destiny of this state was up for a change. Crisp and eloquent headings read, “the power has been switched on”. Switching on power did not mean just commissioning of a project but this indicated end to an era of darkness. Now in same columns one gets to read, “light is switched off”. While power supply has been officially turned off for 13 hours a day, though the Governor NN Vohra later promised to slash down the cuts to nine hours, some smaller townships, villages and even some areas in the Capital Cities have been complaining of upto 20 hours-long power cuts. Protests and demonstrations are rocking not only the Capital Cities of Jammu and Srinagar but also smaller townships and villages. Had there been a political authority in the state, instead of present case of Governor’s administration, power would have been the major election issue. The ruling party could have described these protests and demonstrations as politically motivated to hoodwink the public and to deviate their attention from issues which really matter. In the Governor’s rule when activists of almost all parties are coming down on roads and holding demonstrations, this clearly reflects the level of miseries the public is going through. The industry and trade sector has its own woes. Our state has an ambitious industrialization policy but in a region where power is off for almost and even more than half of the day, survival of industry is just unthinkable. Jammu and Kashmir is perhaps only state in the country which is worst victim of power crisis. It has plenty of resources and has pumped in huge money on projects but still even the basic minimum requirements are not being met. The state is always in a vicious debt trap and its economy is in shambles. There are no other major loopholes except expenditure on power procurement which Jammu and Kashmir poor. There is no vision, policy and accountability in management and running of power resources and projects. Indus Water Treaty has often been blamed for this advantage but there is no truth in this. Even after suffering losses to the treaty, not even ten per cent of the remaining available resources (as provided under treaty) have been exploited. When Baglihar was commissioned the hopes ran very high. But three weeks later it appears that commissioning of this project just ahead of the election announcement was just a political message and not actually a festival gift to the people of Jammu and Kashmir as described by the Congress president Sonia Gandhi on the day of commissioning of project. |
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