Imperceptive participatory effort.

Bizarre are the ways of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) to check the ever increasing power consumption in the state. One is their advice to all its consumers to switch off unwanted lights and other electrical appliances for one hour to participate in the Earth–Hour campaign in the month of March. None, including the ministers observed it. Ministers’ residences registered an extra consumption on that day- an RTI query replies.

Other one is the arrangement of KSEB to distribute energy-efficient Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL). As such, the CF lamps thus distributed have become a toxic waste creating health hazards. The KSEB keeps no data on power savings on that way with CFLs except the commission the board has accrued by way of purchasing sub-standard gadgets for consumers.

And now with football fans planning to stay stuck to TV sets to catch the FIFA show, KSEB officials demand for a ‘participatory effort’ from consumers. The consumers have to save power in advance to get uninterrupted power supply from 9.30pm for watching the World Soccer. Grippingly, no one one is going to heed the KSEB as the consumers have had bitter experience from the board by way of meter charge, un-informed power cuts, poor service, and poor consumer redressal. The KSEB should learn first to exert a pull on the heart of consumers and then ask for a participatory effort.  

K A Solaman