Troubled with frequent power cuts, villagers in Odisha's Dhenkanal observe 12-hour bandh

Fed up with frequent and unscheduled power cuts, hundreds of residents of Kankadahad block in Dhenkanal district observed a 12-hour shutdown on Thursday. Hundreds of residents came forward to support the bandh as shops and business establishments remained shut for the day.

With the registration for Subhadra Yojana going on in full swing, locals are facing unwanted problems for Aadhaar correction and other documentation. The mandatory biometric for ration card holders has further added to their woes.

Irate locals staged a sit-in outside the local electricity department and demanded a permanent solution. Despite repeated complaints and efforts to bring the plight to the notice of the JE and BDO, no steps have been taken in this regard, the protestors alleged.

The residents have taken to protest since their demands were not heard by the administration.  

“The Jana Seva Kendras and Mo Seva Kendras are very active for Aadhaar updation and other corrections due to the Subhadra Yojana. But, we have to face unwanted problems due to repeated power cuts, that too for lengthy hours. Shockingly, they snap power supply for 12-18 hours even if the weather is good,” alleged Santosh Mishra, a local resident.

Similarly, another local Ajit Khuntia stated, “For every small matter, even if there is a slight breeze, they snap the power supply without any reason. Despite repeated complaints, they are least bothered to listen to our pleas. We have met JE and BDO several times, but to no avail. So, today, we are staging a protest outside the electricity office for a permanent solution.”

“We snap the power supply whenever there is repair work going on. The department is concerned because of which we are carrying out repair work, otherwise, why would we do all the repairing work whenever there is some damage,” stated an employee Sudhanshu Parida.