Corruption and Power came as biggest challenges in the second regime of the NDA government led by Nitish Kumar. On corruption, though he ‘waged war’, on the issue of getting power he looked miserably helpless. Launching a crackdown on corruption he devised many innovative ways and means to checkmate its fawning wings but on the issue of bringing power to the state he failed to make any breakthrough.

Bihar is currently one of the worst states in the country when it comes to power with no more than 40-50 MW of power production of its own. The state has to depend solely on Central allocation of power of which it gets less than the quota. The Bihar Chief Minister has often alleged that it is the UPA government’s discrimination against Bihar whereas the Centre has reportedly been expressing its inability to help out Bihar.

Getting no effort bearing desired results, the state government itself took up the cudgels and invited private and government owned companies to set up power plants in the state ‘for which the government would provide all kinds of help’. Some of them came, some started the process, and some signed agreements.

However, the state energy minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav recently apprised the State Legislative Assembly that the state’s power scenario would improve only by 2016 as most of the power projects undertaken by the state government would start generating power by that time.

He also informed that with the investment of Rs 4,000 crore, the NDA government has completed 90 per cent of the transmission lines while the remaining 10 per cent would be completed by the end of the next fiscal.

Bihar has a daily requirement of about 2,200-2,500 MW of power and it generates only 40-50 MW. The Centre allocation of power to the state is 1,649-1,692 MW but the state currently gets a meager 750-900MW “which is enough for Patna only”, said the energy minister. The state is facing a power deficit of about 1,000-1,200 MW daily, said the state energy department officials.

Bihar’s per capita power consumption is one-sixth of the national average and from the allocation power is transferred on priority basis to Nepal, railways and defence installations.

“In such a powerless scenario which industry would come to set up their units in Bihar? Unless and until Centre improves our quota of power supply substantially the situation can not be improved,” said the power minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav.

However, he expressed hope that with the completion of Nabinagar thermal power station, renovation of Barauni and Kanti thermal power stations, one thermal power station coming up at Sangrampur village in East Champaran, Lakhisarai and Chausa the power scenario would improve by 2015-16.

Besides these, the NTPC units of Barh and Kahalgaon too will start generating power but “like other 16 states where the power stations are coming up with Centre agreeing to provide them 50 per cent of the generation, Bihar too should be accorded the 50 per cent formula from the upcoming Barh and functioning Kahalgaon thermal power stations,” stated the minister. Power-starved Bihar should also be provided coal linkage to overcome the grim situation, he added.

Meanwhile, millions in the state are forced to live in the lantern age as electricity has become an exclusive luxury for people in most parts the state capital only. The generator economy is the most thriving business in Bihar today. The private generator operators charge Rs 20 for a bulb and Rs 5 for charging mobile phones in most of rural Bihar and people as per their financial capacity and need get hooked to the generator wire.

According to a recent survey conducted by an NGO Greenpeace, even the Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidutikaran Yojna (RGGVY) has failed miserably in achieving its mandate and objectives in Bihar largely because of faulty approach and methodology of the scheme.

Though, Bihar is one of the largest beneficiaries of the RGGVY scheme in terms of budgetary allocation, during the survey it was found that 10,234 villages across 20 blocks of Saran district have been brought under the RGGVY scheme but the survey report found that 78 percent of the population is still living in complete darkness.

Seeing no relief, thousands of people across the state have routinely been taking to the streets, shouting slogans, blocking roads and ransacking government buildings and offices.

At some places like Gopalganj, Sharsha, Ara, Gaya, Muzaffarpur and Sasaram police often had to impose section 144 to disperse and control the protesting mobs, however, at many places the protestors demanding supply of power were regularly been lathi charged and arrested. Except for Patna, power becomes elusive not only for week but even for a month and people face all sorts of hardships.

Protest for power at every nook and cranny of the state eventually forced Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to come out of his cocoon and realize the real magnitude of the problem. Nitish Kumar rolled out his plans and started acting upon them swiftly.

He visited the neighbouring country of Bhutan last month and stayed there for four days to see the power scenario of the country. He even visited some of the power projects to get an idea of hydel projects to generate power in Bihar.

The Bihar Chief Minister later made a demand to the UPA government at Centre that Bihar should be allowed to have equity stake in Bhutan’s power units so that the power-starved state would get assured power from the neighbouring country.

“Bihar should get 1500 MW power from Bhutan’s Punatsangchu I & II power plants,” demanded Nitish Kumar. The Bihar Chief Minister also recently met the Union power minister Shsuhil Kumar Shinde and requested him to provide 600 MW of power from Arunachal Pradesh as the state was earlier being promised.

“The Union power minister, however, assured me to get an alternate arrangement to compensate Bihar”, said Nitish Kumar.

Meanwhile, for the first time the Planning Commission held a two day meeting of the Chief Ministers of five states with Bihar playing host. Nitish Kumar said that like other states Bihar will also put forward its suggestions and demands. “Bihar needs more investment in infrastructure, power and other sectors,” he said.

Nevertheless, the state government is facing another problem at the home front with the local people demanding more compensation for their land acquired for the setting up of the power plants. Recently, at Nabinagar in Aurangabad district the local farmers had protested violently for more compensation for their land and a standoff was created at the place halting the power project installation for some time.

However, the state government ultimately managed to broker a peace with the protesting farmers and the work started again there. “We’ll compensate the farmers and land owners for their land more than the market rate. People should come forward to help the government to take the state out from darkness,” appealed Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

For the private investors the state government has made it categorically clear that they would have to get the land for their projects by themselves as the government would not ‘interfere’ in the matter.

Getting power to the state seems to be the single highest priority for the Nitish government at present as people have voted them to power with a thumping majority and reposed faith in it to take them out from previous government’s ‘lantern age’. And, being a wily politician, Nitish Kumar must know that it is the same people who could turn the tables even for him if their aspirations and expectations are not met.

The real power challenge, therefore, for the award-winning Bihar Chief Minister begins now with power and also ends with power.

“Let us hope that he will be able to illuminate Bihar. For, he is the only hope for Bihar and beyond him lie only Maoists and criminals,” believe many in the state.