Infrastructure in Indian subcontinent

India: Many districts battle blackouts, crop failure looms

Times of India

12 October, 2011

AJMER/JODHPUR/ALWAR: The substantial decline in power production has hit the entire state affecting households, businesses, and farmers. The Ajmer Vidhut Vitran Nigam Ltd (AVVNL) is facing shortage of 60 lakh unit, forcing the officials to impose a five to seven hour power cut daily in the region.

Lives in the city areas are also battered by the regular load-shedding with mostly small shopkeepers and small scale industrialists bearing the brunt of it. "Power cut starts in morning for two to three hours and then it again goes out in afternoon for around same duration. Itas festival time and such inconvenience is the last thing anybody wants," said a businessman of Naya Bazaar. In rural areas, power is not available for eight to ten hours and farmers, who have to irrigate their fields, are a worried lot.

"We are trying for an unhindered supply from October 15, but at present we are facing short-supply while the demand is more," said P S Jat, managing director of Discom. He added that coal fields in Jharkhand and Bihar are over flowed with water and has disrupted supplies to the plants.

In Jodhpur, the residents have to suffer three to five hour blackout a daily, apart from the long unscheduled cuts that are so common these days. The condition is worse in rural areas. Farmers are finding it difficult to irrigate their crops, which will be ready for harvest soon.

A farmer from Baori village, Gopi Kishan said that in the entire Jodhpur district, this village has been worst hit. "We are having a tough time in raising our crops. Electricity supply has been reduced to three to four hours and that too it has been so erratic that nobody can have a plan for it", he added. They have planned for a demonstration at the Jodhpur Discom.

In Alwar, the farmers have threatened to launch an agitation to protest the abrupt power failure and disrupted power supply in the district. According to the farmers, the shortage of power had already spoilt 50% of their onion crops and if the situation does not improve soon, the entire crop would be destroyed. Alwar too faces a daily power cut of five to seven hours

End of the line for Pakistan's rail system?

LAHORE – Though the situation in the Pakistan Railways has never remained satisfactory since last couple of years, the cash-strapped public utility suddenly faced major crisis on Tuesday.

The Railways management due to the shortage of fuel decided to close 54 short-distance passenger trains besides another 102 trains were shut down due to lack of locomotives, officials seeking anonymity told TheNation. Furthermore, hundreds of PR workers could not get their salaries even after the 10th day of their continued protest demos against the delay in salaries.