The Hindu : National : From darkness to light

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 09, 2005

National

National

From darkness to light

By Mahesh Vijapurkar

MUMBAI, JAN. 8. While all of Maharashtra, except Mumbai, is burdened with load-shedding due to the high demand and low availability of electricity, 10 villages get uninterrupted power supply because they use electricity judiciously. They have moved from darkness to light.

These villages collectively decided not to run the floor mills, chaff cutters, electric stoves, water heaters or steal power for running pumpsets. In return, the local officials ensured that they got power in the morning and evening. This has happened over the last one month.

This means that students can study, women can cook with the lights on and not in dim candle-light. The gram sabhas in Janori of Nashik district, Pohegaon, Dongargaon and Chas, Kadgal, Nimgaon, Ghargaon, Chikni and Rajapur of Ahmednagar decided to follow this. The Maharashtra State Electricity Board is hoping that this example will be emulated across the State.

After the Maharashtra Government announced free electricity for farmers who use the power to run pumpsets, there was a sharp surge in demand due to which the State Electricity Board went in for load-shedding of about 2,500 MW a day.

Ever since the gram sabhas decided to curb illegal and excessive drawing of power, the local officials, restored full supply as a reward and said that others would also benefit if they fell in line. Wheat and maize are now ground during the non-peak hours. The farmers who took power from overhead lines, removed their illegal connections.

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