Bhubaneswar: The resentment over delay in restoration of power supply in cyclone Fani-hit districts reached Odisha Assembly today.
Though cyclone Fani hit Odisha on May 3, several parts of Puri and Khurda are still living in dark even after one and a half months.
Congress MLA Suresh Routray raised the issue of delay in completion of power restoration works in the affected districts during the Zero Hour in Odisha Assembly today.
“Electricity has only been restored in Bhubaneswar while several parts of Khurda district, which were also ravaged by cyclone Fani, are still living in dark. Not only Khurda, people in several parts of Puri, Pipili, Delanga have not got power. We want the State government to complete all the pending power restoration works before Rath Yatra,” said Routray.
BJD MLA Pradip Maharathy also expressed resentment over the lackadaisical attitude of the Energy department over the inordinate delay in restoration of power supply in several parts of Puri district.
“Not a single electricity pole has concrete reinforcement and it needs to be strengthened. I want to know when electricity will be restored and whether all the pending works will be completed before Rath Yatra by July 3,” said Maharathy while asking a supplementary question.
“Power supply was restored to my assembly constituency after eight days. People are still apprehensive following rain and thunderstorm as it takes two to three days to restore power supply in Binjharpur. I urge the government to direct concerned officials to resolve such issues at the earliest,” said BJD MLA Pramila Mallick.
Furnishing a reply on behalf of the Energy Minister, Dibya Shankar Mishra, who was absent, Labour Minister Sushant Singh admitted that power restoration work is incomplete in several parts of Puri district. Though Singh did not present the exact number of consumers to whom power supply has been restored, he assured the members in the Assembly that all the pending restoration work will be completed before Rath Yatra.