Lucknow: Religion, and not basic necessities, appear to be on the agenda of the government in Uttar Pradesh, which is facing massive power cuts daily, amid a rise in temperature and heatwaves.
As the government prepares for the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya early next year, bijli aur pani (electricity and water) is no longer a major electoral issue.
In recent weeks, Uttar Pradesh has dominated headlines over massive power cuts and deaths caused by severe heatwaves.
In the Chinhat industrial area of UP, a power cut had left industrial units crippled and homes in the dark from 9.30 pm to 4.30 am, on a hot and humid night. Such disruptions in power supply have become a daily feature, at a time when the sun is unbearably scorching and staying indoors at night without electricity is stifling.
Power outages are an everyday feature not only in Lucknow, but also in other parts of the state, including Noida, where 86% of the households experience power outages every day.
Power breakdowns seem to be of the least importance for a government which is confident that a renewed Ram Temple wave would sweep other issues aside ahead of the 2024 general elections.
At least 54 people are said to have died in Ballia and other parts of eastern UP on June 15, 16 and 17 due to health complications caused by the heatwave. While some health officials have said the cause of death is being investigated, others have linked it to heatwaves.
Frequent power outages are not uncommon in summer. Poorly maintained equipment, high demand during peak hours, power theft and a tussle between the power minister and the chairman of the UP Power Corporation Limited – all contribute to daily power cuts.
In March, power workers went on a 72-hour protest over irregular pay compensation and the government’s failure to appoint a UPPCL chairman through a proper selection process. The strike was called off after the Allahabad high court ordered the employees to be present in court. The stir caused the shutting down of several power generation units, leading to a crisis.
State power minister A.K. Sharma tweeted that the average demand for electricity in 2012-17 was 13,598 megawatts (MW), but the present figure has doubled to 27,611 MW. The minimum demand of 18,701 MW is more than the peak demand of those five years, he said.
उत्तर प्रदेश में वर्ष 2012-17 के पाँच वर्षों में बिजली की औसत माँग 13598 MW थी। वर्तमान में यह माँग उसकी दूनी से भी ज़्यादा चल रही है-27611 MW.
उन वर्षों की अधिकतम माँग से भी ज़्यादा अभी की न्यूनतम माँग चल रही है-18701 MW.
सभी विद्युत कर्मी मित्रों से अनुरोध है कि इस चुनौती… pic.twitter.com/hCCJiyxwkA
Advertisement— A K Sharma (@aksharmaBharat) June 20, 2023
In a letter to Sharma, the UP State Electricity Board Engineers’ Association claimed credit for fulfilling the demand for 27,611 MW on June 13.
The letter pointed out an increase in the number of consumers and approved power load since 2012.
There were 3.29 crore billable consumers in April 2023, with a total approved load of 67,882 MW. The total annual energy consumption in the state has gone up from 76,574.6 million units in 2012-13 to 142,797.4 million units in 2022-23.
Most of the transformers and other equipment, which were installed more than 10 years ago, are worn out and cannot cope with the spurt in demand. More than 50% of the transformers are operating beyond their load capacity, the letter said, adding that the situation is leading to burning insulation and power cuts.
To make matters worse, the engineers complain that thousands of experienced workers have been sacked.
Apart from the power engineers’ grievances, it is the alleged uneasy relation between the UPPCL chairman M. Devaraj, who is considered to be an aide of chief minister Yogi Adityanath, and power minister Sharma, whom the prime minister sent to UP from the Centre to improve governance in the state.
Sharma is known for his proximity to the prime minister and has faced stiff resistance from Adityanath over his induction into the ministry. The strained relationship between Adityanath and Sharma is said to be the cause of the alleged sour relationship between Sharma and Devaraj.
Appointing his trusted officers in departments not headed by ministers of his choice is Adityanath’s way of asserting his authority. This strategy, however, did not work in the case of deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak, who transferred his principal secretary Amit Mohan Prasad.
There are wheels within wheels in UP, which is the most critical state for the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Atul Chandra is a former resident editor of The Times of India, Lucknow, and an author.
