DIMAPUR — Frequent power cuts coupled with the rising mercury levels have thrown many business activities out of gear in Dimapur, the commercial hub of Nagaland.
Of the myriad businesses hard hit by the power outages and relentless hot weather in Dimapur, are bakeries and confectioneries that are on the verge of financial meltdown.
“Ninety-nine percent of our business depends on electricity, and when this gets cut off, we suffer a lot, both mentally and economically,” said Kakali Shikhu who runs The Bakesmith Bakery at 3rd Mile, Thilixu, along with her two sisters.
“In winter, we depend on weddings to sell our bakery products like cakes and cookies. But in summer, when there are fewer occasions like weddings or big gatherings, we rely on counter sales to give salary to our employees. However, due to erratic power supply, our bakery items stored in refrigerated counters get spoiled, causing extreme loss to our business,” Shikhu told Eastern Mirror.
She also said that dairy products like milk, which is used in baking, requires to be kept in the freezer. But with the hot weather and unavailability of electricity, such food items get contaminated quickly.
The power cuts have also taken a toll on the baking classes, which Shikhu conduct during the summer. “Many students from different districts schedule their time and come to attend the classes, but most of the time we cancel classes because there is no power,” she said.
She also disclosed that there are times when she had to rush out in the middle of the night to her friend’s place where there was no power cut in search of an oven.
‘Some cakes take two to three days to design and its making process is disturbed by the interim power fluctuations or outages,’ she added.
Another home baker, who wished to remain anonymous, explained that when a cake is kept under an oven, repeated turning off and on of power affects its texture.
“As such, when there are frequent power cuts, we have to redo everything from the scratch. We incur huge losses whenever we redo expensive cakes with lots of nuts and dry fruits because it cannot be charged. Power usage also depends on the types of cakes; some require continuous flow of current for three hours,” she said.
The baker also said that she had to forego normal sleep routine many a time.
“I notice the power supply is more constant in the early hours of the morning. So sometimes, I bake in the wee hours when there is current and after baking, go to sleep for a couple of hours before sending my kids to school,” she shared.
Twenty-seven-year-old Ayush Singh, who owns the D Star Bakery located in the heart of the city, says he is anxious over the quantity of ruined food and lost revenue.
“When there is no current, all my ice creams get melted, the lassi gets spoiled and even the cakes have to be disposed of after a day because of the heat. Some days, the power outages last for 6-7 hours and even up to 12 hours, spoiling all the frozen foods,” he said.
“Due to severe heat and erratic power supply, my sweets and other eatables get spoiled constantly. Usually, there are 4-5 power cuts in a day and each power cut lasts up to two hours,” said owner of Bothra Sweets and Provision located at GS Road.
“Customers come in search of chilled drinks but they eventually leave as we cannot offer them. This is affecting our business,” he added.
(The writer is a student of Journalism and Mass Communication at Nagaland University. She is currently an intern at Eastern Mirror.)