Maharashtra's Power Companies Charged Up

Those whose eyes are blazed by the shine of fat pockets, security and safety of a government job is the thing to die for. With the current situation in industries almost grim, hardly anybody with suitable qualification can choose to be indifferent towards a job in quasi-government company. Even if that job does not have any glow like the ones in Information Technology industries have. For such people, state power companies of Maharashtra are offering too many jobs in coming days. The companies are moving with lightening speed to recruit new people now.

The candle makers in Maharashtra were happy with the state's energy scenario becaue it allowed them to make hay while sun shined. Scarcity of the rains has added fuel to the opposition's campaign against load shedding. Consumer organisations have already fired a salvo by questioning the motive behind the recent tariff hike. In this scenario, government can not take the issue of load shedding lightly.

The shortage of manpower in the power companies has hardly come under the glare of media reports. While more than half of the state is reeling under the dark, all three power companies in the state involved in generation, distribution and transmission of the electricity are heavily understaffed. According to estimates by the worker's unions in Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Corporation Limited (MSEDCL), about 32,000 posts are vacant in the company.
Actually, power companies have lost their aura for many years now. Those were the days when a job in a power company appeared bright in terms of perks. Situation is quite different now but if youths are still following the jobs, it is because halo surrounding the job, that is security, is still intact. Some illumined minds like me despised a job in MSEB then and I am sure quite a number of people like me must be still there. Because the spark of the talent never really blows itself off. When I was pursuing my diploma in electrical engineering, the future of a diploma holder in the stream appeared bleak. Because MSEB, the original company which was later tri-partitioned in 2005 has put a cap on the recruitment.

Fortunately enough, I never passed my diploma. For me, there was no shine in the field. Instead after many turn and returns, I finally settled for the journalism. Now I can understand that the decisions regarding electrical power are taken after considering power factor in politics rather than in generation plants. They are more interested in load sharing rather than load shedding. The dream of Maharashtra becoming a developed state appears to be an obscure one now what with daily downfall in the generation of electricity. The state need an electrifying personality, a firebrand leader to bring it on the track. But unfortunately, since last nine years what it has got are two politicians, cold as a refrigerator, whose only proof of existence was promises to make the state load shedding free. Earlier, Dilip Walse Patil used to say that the day will arrive in 2008 and now, Sunil Tatkare is saying it will arrive in 2012. Both were never charged up in true sense, but charges they have against them. Both have failed to enlighten masses as to why the citizens are not getting their due.

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No shock for these incidents

Pune have many unsafe installations

Two people burned in the incident on Monday highlights the dangerous situation vis-v-vis power lines and residents in Pune. A mother and child sustained injuries in Dhankawadi when they came into contact of a high tension electrical line.

Various areas in the Pune city have a good number of buildings just below the electrical lines. Incidents occurring every now and then regarding the dangers posed by these lines did not succeed in making either administration responsible or people aware. As per the electricity law, no construction can be made within the 20 meters of the high tension lines. Majority of HT lines in Pune are erected in the 1970s. Since then, the city have grown leaps and bounds, and below these lines too! Neither officials heeded to remove the residents posing danger to their own lives nor did they actually take away the lines from these areas. The HT line where the episode took place yesterday is originally erected as Fursungi-Chinchwad HT line. About 80 houses in Dhankawadi area stand below this line. Ideally, the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Corporation Limited should have stopped these houses being built in the initial stages.

It is not only a question of electrical lines only. It's about other electrical infrastructure also. City's majority of road stand witness to open Double Pole boxes, hinging wires and many other things. About a year ago, it was brought to fore within right to information that the supply of pre-monsoon maintenance material to various circles in Pune zone was far less than the requirement. The information was received in April-May 2008 according to which, only 45 % of total demand was fulfilled for the equipments. Out of 75 items demanded for maintenance, 35 items were not supplied at all where as 6 items that were supplied were only 10 % of the requirement . The items which are not supplied at all include various sizes of LT cable, cable joints, fuse wire, Distribution transformers Ironically, these items were not supplied previous year also. Though last year, only 30 percent of the demand was fulfilled.

As of now, most of the electrical installations are in dilapidated conditions. Not only do these installations flout Indian Electricity Rules, which stipulates proper process of fixing the electrical infrastructure on public places, but they also risk a big hazard to common people. These include incorrect cabling, incorrect connections, installation not gauarded by anyone, providing many connection from one pole, not removing installation which have been abandoned from use.

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Powerless Maharashtra

Government of India has released the year end reviews for various ministries, as is the custom. The report of Power ministry makes an entertaining reading. It gives total capacity of electricity generation at present in the country. But it cleverly avoids mentioning the rising demand for power in country. In every respect!

Indian economy is growing at the rate of 8 percent each year and according to a study by The McKinsey & Company. According to the study, power demand may rise from the present 120 gigawatt (GW) to 315-335 GW by 2017. (1)

But going by the data provided by ministry, (2) during the period from Jan. 08 to Nov. 08, total availability of energy in the country was 625289 MU(kilowatt per hour), as against 601517 MU during the same period last year, representing a growth of about 4%. Note that the growth has taken place compared to last year and it is still way far from satisfying the need of 120 GW. During the period Jan.08 to Nov.08 total energy exchanges in the country were 16918.90 MU.

The condition in Maharashtra is still worse. The state is facing a power shortage of at least 5000 MW. Thanks to slow down and recession, the demand has come down significantly. Even though state energy ministers and chief ministers have repeatedly said that load shedding will be passe in few years. But the situation has worsened so much that the state has to declare power cuts for industries. Just before recession set its feet in India, industrial belts were in Maharashtra were reeling under the ‘staggering day’ formula where they were forced to keep their shops shut for two days. Since July and upto September, big cities in the state were having 8 hours of load shedding while the villages were having 12 hours of load shedding. The same darkness reigns even today also and likely to be in coming days also. That is the prospects for 2009 for Maharashtra.

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References

1. Report in Economic Times

2. PIB

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A Meeting With French IT Journalist

He is here on a mission : to find out the work culture and secrets of success of Information Technology companies in India. He is also here to find out why European companies are not a part of them as also how much chance they stand to enter the market. Besides the oft repeated reason of linguistic barrier, he also sights one reason why European IT companies are not present in large number in India : the lack of data security.

Valéry Marchive, Editor At Large of LeMagIT, a French trade magazine dedicated to European IT sector is on a study tour of Indian IT companies. he started his sojourn from Pune on Monday when he visited KPIT Cummins at Hinjwadi. After that he also visited CapGemini and Tata Consultancy Services. Valéry also has a meeting scheduled with French Economic Mission in New Delhi. He is currently visiting and studying various companies based on which a full series will appear in his magazine from around September.

When asked what he has found about the companies, Valéry said though he was impressed with the working of the companies and especially its staff, he has yet to form any substantive opinion on the same. He told what he thought was the reason for very less number of French IT companies in India. "People in France are very poor in English. That is one reason why they fail to reach out to Indian companies. As an IT pro, I know many US and British companies have set up their offices in India. Compared to it, French companies have minimal presence. Another reason is that of data security issue. India is still perceived as a potential unsafe country in terms of data security. In France or any other European country, personal data is still perceived as critical and its safety is considered a priority issue."

Express Transaction
Elaborating on this issue, Valéry gave an example of how transaction can be risky in India. The incident took place just a week ago. "When I was scheduling my travel in India, I was booking flights to and from various cities from Jet Airways and Indian Airlines company's official websites. After six of my flights were booked, seventh flight could not be booked because I was told my American Express card has been blocked. When I enquired with the card company, I got a shock when I was told that large transactions of money are being done from my card in a single day. Since the transactions originated in India, American Express thought it safe to block the card, as India is seen as unsafe by the company," he said.

Mixed Bag Pune
Asked about the impressions of Pune, Valéry said, "This city reminds me of a south Italian town two decades ago. It is slow but also it has many companies and lot of young people. Girls here seem pretty, too. But I am amazed at the contrast of the life here. In Mumbai, I visited Goregaon East where I was surprised to find computers even in small huts. Here I asked some people how can they talk of high speed Internet when they do not have electricity itself. The people answered me that for Internet, they are not dependent on computers. They get it on their mobile handsets."

Meanwhile, Valery is blogging his way in India at http://blogs.lemagit.fr/ . He is writing about the India and Indian people as also IT companies.

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The winner of Kremlin

Vladimir Putin, the outgoing president of the Russia, has once again registered a victory in the form of a stupendous success for his party United Russia, in the parliamentary elections of his country. The questions raised on the manner in which this triumph has come can easily be compensated off by Russian public as a whole with the achievements of the Putin in the last eight years in the office. These questions also, it might be pointed out, have been moved up only by some western countries, US being chief among them. The demand for an independent enquiry into the allegations of irregularities in electoral process put forward by the US gives only the hint of the extent to which it is wary of Putin.

By contrast, Putin has relished this victory with élan. He has not bothered himself with answering these demands and instead focusing on the future course of his action. Though he has exhibited joy in view of this victory, he has in his peculiar manner not gone overboard. He know his business well and he has just implied that he is going to do just that. Whether he will like to effect a change in the constitution and be a president for the third time, or will he wield his power by remaining behind the veil is to an open question. What one is sure of is that he has been rewarded for his spectacular accomplishment in bringing Russia to the brink of its former glory of a Superpower.

When Putin took charge of the presidency in from Boris Yeltsin, land of Russia was nothing more than chaos. People were forced to stand in queues for their daily meal and industry had came to a standstill. As if it was not enough, Russia’s position in the international community was also diminishing. Old friends like India were looking the other way in the garb of globalization and new allies were hard to come by. The economic reforms started by Yeltsin regime had severely affected Russia and people were suspicious of any new move in that direction. Topping the list was the problem of separatism and terrorism, especially in Chechnya.

V. Putin, as he is referred to in the Russian media, showed guts and resolve to solve many, if not all the problems facing his country. One can recount how he managed to face hostage crisis in Moscow and Beslan, even sacrificing some lives for the integrity of the nation. On the economic front, not all of the credit goes to him, but the fact remains that he has used his resources so well, that today Russia does not look so impoverished as it looked not long ago. Instances can be counted when he has looked eye to eye with US or any other western country and scored a point or two.

Here is one. Circa 2002. The then US Secretary of State is on Russia’s official visit. After two days of talks and meetings, he speaks all the good things and says, in the course of one of his briefings, that US does not want any country to help Iran. Within hours, Russia’s ministry of energy declares it will help Iran build a reactor at Bushehr for electricity generation. The only thing US could do was to issue a statement deploring this decision.

These and other aspects have made Mr. Putin a conqueror. He has won his battles from the days in the KGB. He won them in Kremlin. Now he has won the hearts of his fellow countryman. A great achievement indeed!

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The Modis Operandi of Growth

First thing first. That Narendra Modi has made it to the record books as the longest serving chief minister of Gujarat. He became the longest serving head of Gujarat state with the completion of five years and almost eight months of his rule. Modi, who took over as chief minister on Oct 7, 2001, completed 2063 days of rule on Friday, 1st June 2007. The state of Gujarat has seen as many as 14 chief ministers in 47 years since its formation in 1960.
There are many people in this country whose faces turn to red at the very mention of Narenda Modi. Some see in him the next Hitler and for some moderate ones, he is the biggest threat to the Indian democracy and integrity. It is actually another matter how far they have gone to know or study the man or the administrator behind this figure. For the last five years, Narendra Modi has provided almost all the fodder for opposition and attack from the opponents of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In the process, he has built a reputation for himself that hardly betrays any human aspect or the kindness. Coming from the state of Gujarat, from where Mahatma Gandhi, the father of the nation and proponent of the Satyagraha and Ahimsa (non-violence), he has faced flak in immeasurable measure. Still he has achieved something that he should be rightly proud of even in future.
Yes, there have been other leaders in the country who have been in the office far more than Mr. Modi. Prior to him, former chief minister Narendra Desai was the longest serving head of the Gujarat, being in power for 2062 days. Present Railway Minister of Laloo Prasad Yadav was the chief minister of Bihar for more than six years from 1990 onwards. Even before that, in Maharashtra, Vasantrao Naik was the Chief Minister of the state for almost 14 years from 1962 onwards. What sets Mr. Modi apart is his leadership qualities in terms of the political successes and the administrative traits in terms of the developmental work in the state. Gujarat inherited by Mr. Modi and Gujarat under Mr. Modi is vastly difference. This difference does not manifest through riots only, which media pleases to show at the very first opportunity.
Just last week I was in Gujarat and Rajasthan. Being a citizen one could not help comparing the situation in different, especially so if one happens to come from a state which was a part of the concerned state. The development works in Gujarat are not only amazing, they are just awe inspiring. Not withstanding the vehement and powerful activism of Narmada Bachao Andolan, can one deny that the Sardar Sarovar dam has infused a new life in the farm sector of the Gujarat? Laloo Prasad in his tenure took Bihar to such depths that it became synonymous with disgrace. While people in Maharashtra woke up each day to the electricity less life, Gujarat has gone ahead with providing excess electrical power to the neighboring Maharashtra.
Political philosophies apart, `Namo,’ as he is known widely, has proved to be a capable administrator, who has managed to provide the basic amenities to the public, a job for which he is entrusted. How many of the today’s leaders are capable of boasting this feat. For starters, let us see what Mr. Modi has achieved throughout his tenure.
g See how he handled the situation in the quake hit parts of Gujarat. When he took over as the Chief Minster Bhuj was a city of rubble. People were living in temporary shelters without basic infrastructure. Earthquake recovery became his first priority. Now Gujarat Reconstruction Programme is said to be one of the best reconstruction programmes on the global map and set a benchmark for reconstruction and disaster recovery, not only in India, but also in the entire Asia.
g Vibrant Gujarat Global Investor's meet is an innovative bi-annual submit organized by Narendra Modi to attract. Even the events like kite flying festival on Makar Sakranti were used for attracting foreign investment.
This development pattern of Gujarat has been appreciated by all and it is recognized by the State organizations also. It was not long ago that Rajiv Gandhi Foundation has awarded the Gujarat State for various development works. This issue was also a topic for the hot political discussion. Just recently, Planning Commission of India has lauded the state for its development and even has gone to the extent of terming it as a star performer.
According to the UNI story,
· Gujarat's economic growth post-liberalistion, specifically in the last five years, has evoked admiration in the draft Gujarat Development Report, prepared by Gujarat Institute of Development Research (GIDR) at the behest of the Planning Commission.Terming the state a ''star performer'' and a ''manufacturing specialist'', the report makes specific mentions of investments in ports, roads, telecom and other infrastructure.A jarring note in the report comes in the form of Gujarat achieving an average growth rate of only 14 per cent in the manufacturing sector despite a potential for crossing the 20 per cent mark.However, for this under-performance, the report puts the onus on the conservative monetary and exchange rate policies of the Central Government and the RBI. Comparing Gujarat with other states, the report finds the western state doing exceedingly well on most economic parameters. The comparisons have been made against Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. It gives an example of how growing from a much lower level of Rs 11,500 against Rs 13,500 of Maharashtra in 1993, the per capita income of Gujarat crossed that of its neighbour in 2003 and stood at Rs 19,500, a jump of over 70 per cent in a decade growing fastest among its peers. ''Gujarat is in a class by itself. Among its peer states, Gujarat has the highest rate of growth of GDP, manufacturing and per capita SDP. The openness to immigration of labour, and the natural advantage of much land with little alternative use, local entrepreneurship, state support and local politics that is not against capital are significant factors,'' says the chapter on'Economic Performance of Gujarat in recent times''.

Given this background, can one deny that with the hooting that Namo gets regularly, he deserves a hats off too?

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