In Vasai-Virar , everyone's selling inverters to cash in on power cuts

VASAI: Five years ago, 40-year-old Hasad Sheikh was an autorickshaw driver. Today he is a businessman manufacturing inverters. And he is not the
only one to be cashing in on the long hours of load-shedding in the Vasai-Virar belt. As the area braces for another "sweltering and dark' ' summer, several residents have decided to make a living out of load-shedding .

The demand for inverters has far outstripped that for air-conditioners ; this has given rise to a curious but enterprising situation-small-time electricians , autorickshaw drivers and even homemakers are turning into manufacturers of "home-made inverters' ' that sell like hot cakes.

"Often I would have passengers, who would be going home with an inverter. I realised there was good money in it and that inverters were here to stay,'' said Sheikh, who had zero knowledge about electrical appliances. He gathered rudimentary information about the machines from his passengers and after a few days, he headed for Pune for a course in electrical appliances. "My friends and relatives ridiculed me, saying I should continue driving the auto. But today, I have a flourishing business and I operate from home,'' the Bolinj (Virar) resident said. He has also given out his autorickshaw for on rent.

Most homes-both small and big-in the Vasai-Virar belt have installed inverters as the region now faces six to eight hours of load-shedding daily. "Life in summer without an inverter is a curse,'' Vasai resident Ganesh Murthy said. "Almost every electrician here supplies inverters.''

Many homemakers have learnt the technique of assembling an inverter. "My neighbour, Arvind Shukla, is an electrician ,'' said Mumtaz Khan from Vasai. "A year ago, he came to me asking if I could help him assemble an inverter. Initially I was not too sure but in two days, I could actually piece together an inverter.'' Explaining the profit of the venture, Khan said, "The overhead costs are almost negligible and you get paid as soon as the inverter is installed.''

Shukla manufactures anything between 40 and 50 inverters during summer. He attributes the rise in demand to the huge housing complexes that are coming up in Vasai-Virar . "Those with two- and three-bedroom flats are installing inverters that have the capacity to run airconditioners . Those cost up to Rs 10,000,'' Shukla said.