Electric supply reduced in Chin State amidst Govt’s promises

16 November 2013: The government of Chin State has made an enormous reduction in electric supply as U Khin Maung Soe, Union Minister of Electric Power, makes a promise of full power in Burma’s least developed region.

U Khin Maung Soe last week said in a meeting at the Rangoon City Electricity Supply Board Office that the two States of Chin and Rakhine would receive full electricity by the end of next year.

A government employee from Hakha told Chinland Guardian that hours of power supply to ministers’ houses and government departments had been decreased since last Tuesday.

“High-ranking government officials were provided a 24-hour power supply. So far, they now have electricity from 6pm to 11pm at night, and sometimes 11am to 3pm during the day,” said a Hakha resident.

Other residents, especially those running private businesses, complained about the irregularity of electricity, let alone reduction.

“On Thursdays, we normally had electricity but we didn’t have it the whole day this Thursday. And we were not informed of the new schedules and had to run an electricity generator,” said a Hakha shop-owner.

The government of Chin State claimed that it was a necessary step taken to meet the need of the people in the future as the decrease in rainfalls had affected hydropower plants being used in Chin State.

According to the Eleven news, the Ministry of Electric Power of the central government said that it has provided electricity across Chin State using nine hydropower plants and 33 generators.

A community leader from Thantlang told Chinland Guardian that the majority of villages in Hakha and Thantlang Townships had built their own mini-hydropower plants or bought electric generators with financial contributions from the Chin disapora.

Recently, residents in the two towns of Hakha and Thantlang had faced power outages owing to problems with the Laiva hydropower station.

Earlier this year, more than 2,000 Hakha residents staged a peaceful demonstration demanding an increase in electricity supply.#