It is easier to face deprivations when you know when they are going to end and when you are enabled to keep track of progress towards relief: Take fasting for example since this is Ramazan month. You know exactly when self-denial from eating and drinking would end on any particular day. Also, at any time you could monitor progress towards that end. Just imagine how inconvenient and problematic that would be if you did not know when the fast would end. So is the case with the distress of various kinds people in Pakistan are suffering from, day in and day out, thanks to the corrupt, uncaring governance of the last five years under outgoing President Zardari and his (now) routed PPP.
HOPE VERSUS DESPAIR With the change in government and the promise it carried, rather optimistically people thought relief would be round the corner. However, it has turned out to be a case of things getting worse before they (hopefully) got better. While in general no one doubted the intentions of the new team in power, continued misery, without "why, when and how" adequately explained, is eroding that assurance. For example with much fanfare a huge sum was paid out to IPPs (towards circular debt liquidation) to get them to start producing power again. It would have been helpful to have also answered questions like these:
1) Which are those of the IPPs who have been paid bailout money, how much has been paid to them respectively, what is their respective power producing capacity (Mega Watts), how soon would each IPP begins producing power and how much.
2) Who owns these IPPs? Are there any Ministers, MNAs, MPAs and Senators among owners? If yes the ownerships should be disclosed.
CIRCULAR DEBT RESURGENCE The reasons why circular debt built up to the extent it did, (line losses, due to poor equipment or processes, theft through unauthorised connections, connivance in this by staff of the power distribution companies, difference between cost of production and billed rate, non-payment of bills by mainly government entities) are well known. Not so well known are the steps taken to prevent their resurgence. Some of the unanswered questions in this connection are:
1) Kundas continue to be an omnipresent sight especially in Karachi. Why we people don't see a vigorous campaign to remove them?
2) In upscale areas like Defence in Karachi many houses are said to have a dual electric supply connection - one through the Utility's meter and the other direct with or without the knowledge of DISCO staff. Often this is said to be a factor in determining the rental value of the residence! Is the government making a serious effort to unearth this alleged theft?
3) What measures are afoot to reduce the cost of power production by increasing the use of coal, water and cheaper gas? Why is the matter of use of Thar coal an ongoing controversy?
4) What alternative energy sources are worth considering: garbage, bio energy, wind, solar energy, tides and so on? Are they being seriously considered at any level by experts tasked by the government?
THREE-YEAR TIMEFRAME From day one Federal Minister for Water & Power, Khwaja Muhammad Asif has been telling us that substantial relief from loadshedding would be achieved within three years. That is a long wait and it will take more than that distant hope alone to make the suffering populace grit their teeth and reconcile themselves to wait out the period. An answer to the following questions would help:
1) Which new sources of power are to come on stream during the three-year period?
2) When are they expected to respectively start being productive?
3) How much power (Mega Watts) is each expected to deliver?
4) What will be the respective share of furnace Oil, gas and water power in the mix? Will solar power be a significant slice of the total?
MY DREAM No one appears to be talking of power conservation. It would be a surprise to know the amount of power that can be saved by thrifty use of power. But it would take dynamic leadership to get ordinary people to understand and act upon simple measures to save power and make it available to those who are desperately short of. In my dream I see the President or the Prime Minister coming on TV screens, putting a switch on and immediately looking around for another switch not in immediate use and putting it off. The message is also spelt out in so many words: Whenever you put on an electrically operated device (electric bulb, fan, air-conditioner and computer) look around to see if some other device is needlessly on and switch it off. A habit of thrift once inculcated could yield fair-sized dividends for the country and for its deprived classes. Dare one try it?
(owajid@yahoo.com)