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Storyville Global is an international documentary strand that comprises contemporary and challenging documentaries from different filmmakers gathered from across the globe.

Storyville Global: Powerless

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11/11/2017 GMT

Powerless

BBC World News - Storyville Global, Powerless

Powerless provides a fascinating insight into the politics of electricity in India.

Loha Singh, an electrician in the Indian city of Kanpur, is renowned for his expertise in stealing electricity. Some see him as a modern-day Robin Hood, siphoning off electricity from the grid and providing free connections in poor neighbourhoods. In the face of crippling power cuts, his skills enable homes, factories and businesses to function normally.

However, things may be about to change. The city's electricity supply company has a new boss who is determined to clamp down on theft. It costs billions of rupees in lost revenue and holds back vital infrastructure upgrades.

Although initially successful, the clean-up efforts prompt protests and violence in neighbourhoods where people feel unjustly targeted. Adding to the problems, a local politician rallies against the clamp down during a summer of acute electricity shortages.

Powerless provides a fascinating insight into the politics of electricity in one of the world's fastest-growing economies, where the need for power is rising rapidly and around 300 million people lack access altogether.

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