KHELEN THOKCHOM
Illustration by Onkar Nath Bhattacharya
Imphal, June 13: It is not just finely crafted jewellery or a dream house that a Manipuri bride covets, but a generator to sustain the light in her life.
Nowadays, parents of brides-to-be ensure that a generator is on their list of gifts, considering the dismal power scenario in the state.
M. Surjalata Devi feels blessed that among other things, she will be taking along a power generator to her husband Th. Bobo Singh’s home in Imphal West.
With only three hours of power supply in the area, the generator is a must-have.
Surjalata’s parents are not alone in catering to their daughter’s comfort, and not necessarily because the groom’s family demands it.
“The groom’s party did not demand a generator, or for that matter any article from us. We included it (generator) of our own accord because we want our daughter’s new life to begin comfortably,” Surjalata’s father, Ratan Singh, said.
The Okram Ibobi Singh government is able to provide only three to four hours’ power supply daily, as the state does not generate power.
It procures power from national power corporations.
The state’s requirement is 170MW during the peak hours but the government is able to procure only 80MW.
Chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh said the state could not buy enough power as consumers were not clearing bills regularly.
He said the government was buying Rs 10-crore worth of power every month but the department could hardly collect Rs 2 crore against this.
“The power situation is very bad. It is because of this reason that more and more parents are giving generators to their daughters. We are selling four to five generators daily for weddings,” Kh. Bijen, a shopowner selling generators at Paona International Market in Imphal, said.
The market, where most of the shops sell generators, is also known as Moreh market.
The prices range from Rs 4,500 to Rs 15,000.
Most favoured are the petrol-run ones, costing Rs 4,500 or Rs 5,000 that could light upto 15 tubelights of 40 watts each. Moreover, petrol is easier to procure at Rs 65 per litre.
“My youngest sister will get married next week. She said she did not want a scooter. Instead she asked for a generator. I will ensure that she goes to her husband’s house with a generator,” said M. Thoiba of Imphal East.
Instead of inverters that need charging, parents are opting for generators.
They prefer petrol-run generators as kerosene is hard to buy in large amounts. People also store petrol for generators if a blockade is foreseen, Thoiba said.