WHAT DOES it take to make a VIP city? If it is political might and representation, Kanpur, for sure, fits the bill. But even with more than its share of the khadi-clad — seven powerful men with ministerial status, four ruling party MLAs — the city is being plagued by the worst electricity crisis in the last two decades.
The city isn’t only the biggest in terms of size (6,233 sq km) and population (45 lakh), it pays the maximum revenue against the electricity consumed.
At the end of last fiscal year, Kanpur paid Rs 60 crore to take an unbeatable lead over Noida, where electricity is available 24x7. Average payments to UP Power Corporation Limited from here, is Rs 45 crore each month, again maximum, if revenue of other cities is compared.
This is simply of no use when several tehsils, forget about cities, are getting more power than the city. Even towns like Etah, Rampur, Farrukhabad, Qasgunj. Barabanki, Pratapgarh are placed in a far better than Kanpur with power cuts ranging just from two to five hours a day. Mainpuri, Kannauj and Etawah, Auraiya, Hardoi get ceaseless supply by virtue of being represented by the Chief Minister or his kin.
Among big cities, Lucknow has the advantage of being the State Capital, Allahabad has the high court and Agra is benefitted by a Supreme Court order.
{{/usCountry}}Among big cities, Lucknow has the advantage of being the State Capital, Allahabad has the high court and Agra is benefitted by a Supreme Court order.
{{/usCountry}}“Smooth supply is nowadays linked with the level of importance the city has,” says a senior IAS officer, once associated with the UPPCL. “Kanpur is simply unlucky,” he points out candidly. The reason being all those with ministerial positions lack teeth when it comes down to power crisis.
In the last seven months, the crisis remained at its zenith, even as finance and taxation advisor to govt, SM Agarwal, chairman of contractual labour board RD Pal, Chairman of housing development board, Harmohan Singh Yadav, Chairman of NEDA, Mahesh Trivedi, Naresh Uttam, MLC or the MLAs, Aruna Tomar, Haji Mushtaq Solanki, Shiv Kumar Beria, Rakesh Sachan could never do much to better it. Nor did they issue a single statement to even sympathsise with the harried citizens.
“The Centre must be blamed. We are ready to buy power at any cost. We have our coffers brimming but the Centre is upto playing cheap politics,” SM Agarwal said. “What else can the govt do?” he said. Others simply refused to comment.
MoS for Home Sri Prakash Jaiswal, also an MP from Kanpur, says crisis at Kanpur is in its worst form. But quickly adds that there is no use of talking to the CM as he will remain unnmoved with the plight of people. In support, he flaunts a number of letters he has written to the CM in the last couple of years over the crisis.