Why focus on Delhi only ?

Shiban Khaibri
For more than a week say June 2 to June 11, many TV Channels ran stories, programmes, debates, discussions and more time slots in numerous very frequent “small breaks” laden news bulletins about “Delhi main batti gul” , “severe power crisis in Delhi” with such a high pitch as if it was Delhi alone in the country where power shortage was felt more intensely.  Those of us who must have watched such lavish coverage of the “plight of Delhietis” on the TV screens must have felt quite sympathetic for residents of some parts of Delhi “battling against the twin scourges” of the “heat wave and the power crisis” but also must have not approved of the trend of such channels whether for selected TRP or for unspecified objective to focus on Delhi alone. The channels were in a marketing competition to be “we were the first” to project “increased plight” of the residents who could be seen complaining about a cut of 2 to 4 hours. Power problem faced in certain localities of Delhi is not disputed or the right to have 24×7 uninterrupted power supply to the residents but why so much hue and cry only about some Delhi localities and not about rest of India?
The stories ran as “the condition of the sick pitiable” the “elderly and the children worst sufferers” and “the students studying under candle lights”. More “heart rending” visuals were shown from the rooms of the affected residents with old conventional but time tested hand fans beating the heat or the fridges unable to keep milk and veggies cool.  Most of these residents ostensibly must be having invertors but for TV shooting of the moment, they must have been advised to rest their invertors to “project a wholesome pitiable condition”. One of the activists of the junior most political party which tried to build its fortunes in Delhi by  focusing on the issue of electricity , even by its Chief climbing the electric poles to illegally connect the legitimately snapped supply wires for non payment of dues was shown as saying, ” most of the residents spent their night on roads”. Mr. Bharti (Ex- Delhi Minister) cracking a joke of jokes, ” Delhi residents are not tired eulogizing the unprecedented work done by us during 49 days of our government but what has happened to the BJP?” However, the people were not reminded that this was the Party which had confused the whole issue and given a clarion call to Delhi residents not to pay electricity bills and thousands did not pay making thousands of those ones rue for their moral decision to pay and pay in time under the maxim of “use and pay”.
When most of non Delhi residents including the residents of Jammu would compare the magnitude of the suffering on both the “scourges”, Delhi residents would fortunately be among the last benchers. Why those who suffer on account of frequent load shedding, power curtailment, low voltage and the associated problems much more than the residents of Delhi be similarly not be projected on these channels? Why this selective discrimination? Why Delhi is instantaneously projected even at the drop of a hat? Are non Delhi people all comfortable and face no problems? With a slight increase in the price  of milk in Delhi,  the discussions on TVs go on about its ‘impact’ on the pockets  or if the prices of onions increase or they go short in supply , Delhi alone is shown as suffering area and when subsidized onions and other items are to be distributed, again Delhi comes first, why? Is the projection on account of Delhi being the capital and most of the TV stations being in Delhi or in NCR areas? When casually this writer being in Delhi during this “critical period” shared this point with a few persons, one of them was more vocal saying how could so much of “ha ha kar” as portrayed by those TV anchors and news readers be accounted for when in scorching temperature of 46 plus they were seen attired in three piece suiting – which normally is worn in winter months. It seems ludicrous in a way to describe the chill of a snow peaked hill in harsh winter by just wearing a thin cotton half sleeved shirt and a shorts? He did not, however, want to be taken in as being not fully acquainted with how the inner temperatures of TV studios are manually maintained by air conditioning devices etc to enable the TV faces wear the non – light “heavy” suiting in western style in India, protection of the costly equipment, cameras etc not wholly as an alibi . Weather report card was usually read by the TV crew in attires not in tangency with the actual level of mercury just outside their studios.  That being a lighter part of the story, let it be analyzed as to why should there be so much of hype by some electronic media about a problem that is there usually during peak summer days and due to host of reasons.  The actual “defaulters” of the problem of electricity – the old Congress (currently struggling for LOP) and the junior most Delhi based AA Party (struggling for survival) taking to streets demonstrating and raising slogans against the BJP and even breaking pitchers and burning effigies outside the ruling Party office, is non comprehensible. Such cheap politicking of the issue is both redundant as well as ridiculous.
The power load of Delhi is more than 5038 MW , while the generation is merely 1207 MW. There is, as per reports, no power shortage in Delhi but the lacuna is in the distribution system. Why power generation capacity has not all these years increased poses a question on the way the Congress governments in Delhi functioned. For full 12 years, lack of proper decision making capacity has made the problem ticklish but  the central government plunged into defusing the crisis of not a bigger magnitude as it is projected and the Power Minister himself personally visited power houses and the system improved a lot. Rains brought a respite to Delhi , the temperature dipping from 45’c to 30 and even at places to 27’c. But a TV Channel was cautioning the people that the respite was only for a few days where after the heat wave was going to remerge. It is beyond comprehension as to why such fears are aired, if not spread, by TV correspondents from “the field” when Delhities are enjoying the unexpected cool breezes in otherwise hard core scorching summer, perhaps, again to claim by the concerned channel that “We were the first to report” or foresee the factual position.
Most of our cities, semi urban and urban areas where our fellow country men live, reel under severe power crisis but the problem is neither blown out of proportion nor is that any solution. Likewise, we have here, in Jammu, especially during hot humid summer, the conventional power problem, unexpected and unspecified cuts, the usual time table of load shedding popularly called in simple parlance as “Baari” or turn. The cuts range from 4 to 6 hours or even more. As regards water supply, less said the better but none runs stories or conducts debates and panel discussions about us on private TV Channels which perhaps appears to be the exclusive right of the residents of Delhi .Is it because   we are governed under Article 370 or is it because most of our leaders in government are more busy in politics of the sorts than in caring for the welfare of the people ?

Follow our WhatsApp channel