More than nine decades passed
before the electricity act of 1910 was finally revisited in 2003.
It saw a paradigm shift from what was going on and what would be
the future of Indian Power Sector. But, has the progress been in
right earnest. Some may agree while others might disagree
vehemently. The reason is loud and clear for all to see. Not
everybody is getting adequate power because of the high amount of
corruption and nepotism existing in the country. It is in fact so
much so deep rooted that it becomes difficult rather a humongous
task to uproot it.
Accountability was always there. There were persons within the
organization who would have liked to see their work bringing
relief to the consumers of electricity. But these people were
governed by corruption, nepotism and bureaucracy. Again, if you
delve a bit deeper, you would find that the meager income that
these persons used to get led them to high amount of corruption.
Not only that, we are forgetting one more important aspect and
that is “recognition”. There was no recognition whatsoever and
still there is no recognition. Illiterate people with scanty
knowledge used to get a good position in the Electricity Sector by
paying some politician or for that reason any bureaucrat a hefty
sum and deserving candidates used to get left out. It’s just that
India didn’t try to ensure accountability though it was very much
there.
A mindset that rules still extreme in today’s power sector even
after so much of de – regulations is that newly appointed
candidates don’t know anything and that what they talk is not
required in the organization for serving the consumers better. A
pure play of “POWER & POLITICS”. No doubt, there is not a single
organization which doesn’t have a hint of power and politics
involved but the percentage of this is nearly 90% in India. No
effort is being made to discuss issues on a strategic basis but
decisions are mostly whimsical in nature in the Indian Power
Sector. As a result, Indian power sectors stand to lose a great
deal in times to come. A lot stands to be done in order to ensure
that Indian Power Sector reaches world class standards.
It is true that public has not been very much proactive in
their approach due to the reasons stated by Mr. Ashok Dhillon. But
there lies another aspect. Even with de – regulations though most
people have ventured to be proactive and have come forward but
somewhere they have to suffer because of improper implementation
of work by these organizations. Nothing stands symmetrical in
nature. Everything is so much so absurd and all we have inside the
organization is “MIS” which has got no meaning because it doesn’t
depict the real state of the work that has been completed. This
happens due to the lack of proper training and again because of
the so much rampant “Power & Politics” at the senior management
level. No defined CRM structure, No defined financial structure,
nothing at all exists even after two years of passing of the
Indian Electricity Act. And we are talking of recovery. It has
been fire fighting from the beginning and is still continuing
without a proper thought to the future.
As I had stated in my earlier article titled “Can
Sophistication co – exist with Reliability across Power Sectors in
India?”, power sector organizations in India are going on
implementing new technologies borrowed from developed countries
like Canada, USA, France but how many of the employees know the
use of it or even know what is happening and how it can be
beneficial to the consumers? Guess, except for the few senior
management personnel, nobody knows and we are talking of
transparency.
Rightly said by Mr. Dhillon in his article titled “Indian Power
Sector – The Road to Recovery” that outright privatization is
required but what do you do of the employees whom the private
sectors discard on take over, merger or even acquisition? That in
itself is a great hindrance since if these employees are not paid
pensions (as every government servant does in India), then a
strike would be staged by the still employed persons which hampers
proper working conditions which is a common sight in India. A few
more years down the line can’t even see the accountability these
private power players want to see because of the still growing
population, corruption (like promising of free power by the
politicians to amass votes), nepotism and bureaucracy. Point well
taken that credit must be given to those politicians who dared to
propose the change but are they still in power? Can they finish
what they started? Unfortunately the answer stands a big “NO”.
What about those who are in power and create havoc at the centre?
A point to be pondered upon.
Every election happens with a hope that situation will change
but every time situation worsens. What will be fate of these
private power distribution companies when in the year 2007 which
is just a few blocks away, open access comes into existence? Are
these private players ready to compete or can they compete? The
situation looks bleak since to purchase power these private power
companies have to generate money and with the amount of losses
going on, can it be possible that they can go for an IPO? Theft is
till rampant among the urban poor. No methods are being adopted
for energizing because the tariff would pose a big problem. It is
still that “accepted thing” which rules the roost. It is very much
easier to manipulate and project excellent records for the world
to see but it remains to be seen how far the records are correct.
There are so many questions which need an answer to.
Again, as stated earlier, there is no defined approach for
anything and there stands a high amount of attrition rate in these
private power distribution companies. Reason is loud and clear
that the interests of the employees (junior and middle management)
are being ignored.
Fact well taken that a major change in attitude both of the
governing bodies and the public service coupled with the
realization by the public that they cannot be a part of the
problem and at the same time expect positive change (as in the
theft of power), will bring about accelerated recovery and renewal
but who is going to stop it? The Public, the Police or The
Organization? Well, one might jump in here and say that
politicians might be able to help. That’s a far fetched thought.
Again, one might take an ideal situation and say that “The Public”
will be responsible. But try to think like an Indian, if somebody
raises an alarm, then his/her family members pull him/her back and
say “You are not the only person to raise a voice” or even he
might be killed by a mob or even by these politicians. And we are
talking of recovery.
A lot needs to be accomplished right from these governing
officials to these politicians to the senior management who think
that they know everything. Only then one can think of an ideal
power distribution in India with minimum amount of losses and
reach world class standards. Unless the mindset, the way works are
being implemented, the fire fighting approach changes, it is very
much difficult for an Indian Power Sector to sustain itself in
times of turbulence which is only a few blocks away.
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