Shouldn't people's reps be subjected to power cuts?

Reeling under massive power cuts, thousands of Delhi's residents took the extreme step of taking to the streets of the capital to protest against the power and water situation.

CJ: YaYaavar

Sun, Jun 28, 2009 15:26:53 IST

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Delhi News :

DELHI HAS for ages been supporting itself through borrowing electricity from the central grid. Imagine – the capital city does not have enough power to provide its own residents. And why is this? Because for years the Delhi government has been dragging its feet on the decision of whether to establish its own power-generating units. Now the capital city has a power deficit of nearly 1000MW.

Thousands of its residents, reeling under massive power cuts have now taken the extreme step of taking to the streets of the capital to protest against the power and water situation. Delhi's Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has the luxury of saying that there was little that could be done at the moment except to conserve water and power. Brave words for people battling with a severe power and water crisis in sweltering heat.

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, admitting to the gravity of the situation as protesters spilled onto the streets, also urged citizens to cut down on power consumption and conserve water, saying the solution to the problem did not lie entirely with the government. Only Mrs Dixit could manage such an arrogant statement. For years, the Delhi Government took no decision on establishing it own power stations for the capital - only recently the government decided to establish the Bawana Gas-based power station and that too because of Commonwealth Games.

While Delhi reels under power cuts, the entire bunch of councillors, MLAs, and Ministers enjoy uninterrupted power supply at the cost of the paying public. Why can't Mrs Dixit start conservation at her home? Why shouldn't her council of ministers, politicians and bureaucrats stop using air conditioners and allow themselves to be subjected to power cuts as a normal citizen. What right do these representatives of the people have to enjoy uninterrupted electricity supply and to live in luxury while the paying public is starved of basic amenities?

It is pertinent to recall here that in the pre-independence era, Rajas and Maharajas enjoyed all the luxuries of life while their subjects suffered endless problems. Today, in post-Independent India, it appears that MLAs, MPs and ministers are the new Rajas and Maharajas who must live in luxury while the poor hapless citizen who pays for them, continues to suffer from a lack of basic amenities.

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