The situation seems to be quite different on the ground level. Reports say that in some places in the rural areas transformers are lying burnt for over 72 days, not hours in the rural areas of Bihar, yet there is no hope of any replacement. In one case in Samastipur it took six months to replace a transformer in a rural area.

Even within the Municipal area of Patna it takes many days for a transformer to be replaced. And in the latest instance in the heart of Patna a transformer, which got burnt on April 20 could get replaced only by the midnight of April 22. For three days the entire area only a stone throw distance away from the BSEB office near Patna University (in Bari Road near former Janata Dal United MP Dr Ejaz Ali’s clinic) remained powerless yet the response was as lethargic as ever. Notwithstanding the CM’s direction of replacement of transformer within 24 hours in the urban areas it took 50-55 hours for a transformer to get replaced in the heart of Patna. Just imagine the situation of power elsewhere in the state.

What is strange is that the transformer was installed only four months back. How come it got burnt within such a small time remained unanswered? Is Centre responsible for this?

What is more surprising is that some days back when the people of Gaya took to streets in protest against the water and power shortage some Janata Dal (United) and BJP workers got mixed with them and burnt the effigy of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Perhaps never in history the effigy of any Prime Minister would have been burnt because of water and power shortage.

Comment

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Bihar Electricity Board is a powerful body. It provides the shoddiest service available anywhere in the country. Its track record in minimizing AT&C losses is the worst. I have this paper before me in which DISCOM claims that all its units have reduced the loss to between 14 and 20%. Elsewhere it is even less. The BSEB’s figure is a hefty 43%. During the tenure of Anand Shankar and Manoje Nath, the two police officers who took the challenge of electricity theft seriously several cases were registered but both these officers were transferred within six months .I had been to Patna a couple of days back where I was shocked to learn that the important cases registered by them, one of these was against the chairman himself have been quashed by the High Court. Obviously no one may have taken any interest in pursuing the case after the transfer of these officers. But most shocking is the fact that the government has not chosen to appeal against this order to the Supreme Court. This is rare and only speaks of the power that the BSEB weilds.I have not yet seen the judgement but a high ranking engineer who was actively assisting the vigilance investigation told me that in the light of the High Court judgement the entire vigilance department of BSEB will have to abolished and the fate of about 25 cases involving several hundred crores of theft will become jeopardised. The same insider told me that the new man who has succeeded the two stalwarts in the BSEB vigilance is the man who was roughed up by his own men at Lakhisarai in wake of the Naxalite attack in which several police men were killed. He was not suspended but promoted and posted to BSEB.
My sources inside the BSEB tell me that the procurement of materials, the inventory control, are rarely if ever scrutinised. It is generally believed that rewound transformers find their way, materials much in excess of demand are issued and then adjusted in smallish amounts. If only a survey of burnt transformers and how many days they functioned were carried out the truth will be out.BSEB caters to the powerful people’s need of transformers.My old parents in Bettia are running several generators because the burnt transformer was not replaced. Finally they approached a local minister.My relative who lives in a small village of Sheohar PS said that their transformer is out of order for several months. Living in Delhi one starts feeling guilty for our powerless realtives at home.And please stop carrying out news holding centre accountable for every thing. This government has been there for six years now. Concentrate on its record.

RK SINGH
New Delhi