IMPHAL, June 18: Manipur has remained backward on account of failure of the government to provide sufficient electricity though other countries in the world have entered the computer age with human beings becoming human capital.
This was stated by opposition leader MLA Dr I Ibohanbi Singh raising the motion for Disapproval of Policy Cut when the Chief Minister who is also in charge of power tabled Rs 666, 83, 96, 000 for demand No. 23: power to be passed on the floor of House.
He said that it is already 40 years since Manipur had attained statehood in 1978 but the power supply remains a lot to be improved.
No works of Loktak downstream and Tipaimukh multipurpose project have not been taken up to date, he said and added there is no transmission line and heavy fuel power project at Laimakhong remains useless.
MLA Dr. I Ibohanbi Singh further said that there is no transformer of good quality installed in the state and infact there are transformers which broke down as soon as it is installed.
Public complaints for repairing of transformers remains useless, until the public contribute money and pay it to the concern authorities, he said.
He went on to say that the power department cannot replace and repair when the transformer coil breaks down and fuel is required.
So it is useless when the transformer is brought to be installed to provide power supply, he said.
Pointing out that all the electric posts with high tension (HT) wire are in an unsteady position, he asked what plans the government has taken up to replace the said posts. Like health services and National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), he expressed his desire about the power department to take up actions so as to generate public awareness.
He further said that the department has not been found taking up such actions while pointing out that as the power department has not filled up the vacant posts of retired staff, there are only eight staff in the complaint room of the head office at Keishampat though there were 24 staff in the room in the past.
Four staff each are on duty for 12 hours out of 24 hours, he said.