Dear MSPDCL,
Thank you for issuing a press communique explaining the reasons for the prolonged power outages that we, as consumers, are being forced to endure despite paying our electricity bills in advance under the prepaid system.
According to your statement, the reasons include inadequate rainfall, disruptions in coal storage and supply, and a shortage of power available in the market. You have also stated that this is “a phenomenon across India.”
Given these premises, may we, as consumers, reasonably ask:
- Which other states in India are presently experiencing power outages of a similar nature and scale?
- What are the official, verifiable data on power availability, demand, coal supply, generation, and procurement that substantiate the reasons cited in your communique?
- Can consumers have access to the relevant communications, advisories, or directives issued by the authorities responsible for monitoring these parameters?
- What specific measures are MSPDCL undertaking to mitigate the situation, and what timeline has been set for restoring reliable and uninterrupted supply?
To put it simply, we, as consumers, are not prepared to accept general explanations in place of accountability. Please do not take offence. When consumers are repeatedly subjected to prolonged and unpredictable power cuts, explanations that merely cite external circumstances can come across as callousness, complacency, and institutional inefficiency, particularly when no measurable remedial action or timeline is communicated.
Unfortunately, this part of the country has, over the years, witnessed the normalisation of massive corruption, bloodshed, highway blockades, skyrocketing prices, and shutdowns. We cannot allow power shutdowns to become yet another condition that consumers are simply expected to accept as normal.
Electricity is not a discretionary luxury. It is an essential public service, and consumers are entitled to expect reliability, transparency, accountability, and compliance with the applicable regulatory framework.
In this regard, may we remind MSPDCL of the Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, 2020, notified by the Ministry of Power under the Electricity Act, 2003, which prescribe obligations relating to the quality and reliability of electricity supply and provide for compensation in specified cases of non-compliance.
MSPDCL caters to approximately five lakh consumers in Manipur—a fraction of the millions of consumers served by electricity utilities elsewhere in India. If utilities serving far larger consumer bases can maintain more reliable supply, why should Manipur’s consumers be expected to accept prolonged and repeated power shutdowns as inevitable? The size of our consumer base cannot justify inadequate service, particularly when consumers pay in advance and are entitled to reliable supply, transparency, and accountability.
We, therefore, request MSPDCL to move beyond general explanations and provide consumers with specific, verifiable information regarding the present crisis, the comparative situation across India, the measures being taken to address it, and a clear timeline for normalisation of supply.
Consumers pay in advance. We are therefore entitled to expect service, transparency, and accountability—not merely explanations after the lights go out.
Sincerely,
A concerned consumer
