Why the light has gone out of our lives

If the last month���s general elections were instructive in any manner it was to show up the apathy and shocking lack of self-respect among the Vidarbha electorate. Consider Nagpur and Amravati, the two biggest towns of Vidarbha, the only two that are home to general universities. Both towns were put down in a most humiliating manner by state-run power utility MSEDCL and power regulator Maharashtra Energy Regulatory Commission (MERC).
Both agencies tried every trick in the book to ensure that zero load-shedding plan put forth by Vidarbha Industries Association was scuttled.MSEDCL kept on submitting flawed papers to MERC that went through them with a fine-tooth comb. The result was power cuts continued unabated.
You would imagine the people would be seething with anger. You would expect the issue would singe the election campaign in at least these two towns. The electorate would be eager to punish the government that had so blatantly denied them their due. Well, was it so?
Power position barely figured as an issue. If at all it did, it was in questions put by the media to candidates who escaped with evasive answers. If you were not reading papers, you would never imagine there is anything like power shortage. It certainly did not show up in voting figures. Only 43 of every 100 Nagpur voters bothered to vote, returning the lowest percentage in years.
This is not only sad but also shocking. The pathetic power situation ought to be the No 1 political issue in the entire region. It is because Vidarbha produces 4,525 MW power, which is about 45% of all the power that Maharashtra produces.