Undeterred MPs to seek separate time zone for N-E

Notwithstanding the Centre’s decision not to create a separate time zone for the Northeast, a forum of about 40 Members of Parliament from the eight northeastern states have decided to renew their demand for the same.

PA Sangma, Lok Sabha MP from Meghalaya and Northeast MPs’ Forum (NEMPF) chairman told HT: “There is consensus on the issue regardless of the party one belongs to. This is something that will benefit the region immensely.”

“To create another time zone in the country will be a huge demand. We plan to come back to the central government after due groundwork and research,” said Prem Das Rai, Lok Sabha MP from Sikkim who is also the secretary-general of NEMPF.

In December 2014, Jitendra Singh, minister, Development of North-East Region, had stated in a reply in Parliament that the government is not planning to create a separate time zone. The response was to the query if in the absence of a separate time zone, the northeastern states were wasting a huge amount of electricity at home and offices.

Interestingly, just last week, a presentation on the issue was made to the NEMPF by eminent Assamese filmmaker Jahnu Barua who has been working on the issue for more than 20 years.

“The time difference between India’s eastern and western borders is 2 hours 7 minutes. With just a single time zone, there has been a huge imbalance in utilisation of hours resulting into colossal losses,” says Barua.

He has worked out a model to calculate the monetary loss incurred in the Northeast because of following the Indian Standard Time. According to his calculations, the Northeast has lost out about ` 1,06,762.5 crore since independence because of redundant power consumption as darkness sets in early. At the same time, many sunlight hours are wasted.