Biggest Power Crisis: Half Of India In Darkness!

Three power grids in northern, eastern and north eastern India collapsed around noon today plunging 20 states and 2 Union Territories of India in darkness. The northern grid collapsed yesterday putting almost whole of north India into darkness. The situation instead of improving worsened today with all three grids linking 22 states collapsing. Six hundred million people, half of Indian population, had been affected. The astonishing part of this massive failure was that nobody knew exactly why it happened. Even those in 'power' did not know why half of the nation became powerless!

Some of the blame had been given to few states for overdrawing power from the affected grids. Putting a stop to a possible start of the blame game the new Minister of Power said that the power situation had to be managed better for development of the country. In fact, in a major cabinet reshuffle today P Chidambaram, the erstwhile Home Minister, was given the Finance portfolio; Sushil Kumar Shinde, the erstwhile Power Minister, was given the Home portfolio and the Corporate Affairs Minister Veerappa Moily was given additional charge of the Power portfolio. The reshuffle became necessary after the former Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee was elected as the new President of India.

As per latest reports power had been fully restored in the north eastern region and in the rest of the states it was likely to be restored within few hours. With drought fears looming large in several states due to scanty rains the present power disaster gains more significance. Rain deficit in Mumbai and in many parts of Maharashtra has got even bigger in the month of July, 2012. 

As a great relief all of the 200 miners trapped in four underground minefield of West Bengal due to the power failure had been rescued. Train services in many parts of the country had been in complete disarray, apart from the problems faced by more than half of Indian population.

Let there be Power to the nation and to the people!