Police link power outage at station to action against UPPCL staffer

Noida: The power supply to Rabupura police station and nearby residential complex for police personnel was cut for over four hours on Friday night, with police alleging that Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) officials took the action in retaliation against a challan issued to one of their contract staff for not wearing a mask on the road

Noida: The power supply to Rabupura police station and nearby residential complex for police personnel was cut for over four hours on Friday night, with police alleging that Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) officials took the action in retaliation against a challan issued to one of their contract staff for not wearing a mask on the road. UPPCL officials, however, dismissed the police allegations and said the action was taken since the police station was using power without a valid meter.

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Police said the power cut -- from 8:30pm on Friday to 1am on Saturday -- hampered office work and communication.

Dinesh Singh, SHO of Rabupura police station, linked the power cut to a face mask enforcement drive conducted by a police team in the neighbourhood on Friday. “Sub-inspector Sanjeev Rathi and his team issued a challan to a power department contractual worker for not wearing a face mask. It appears he got upset over the issue and, in connivance with his seniors, disconnected the power supply to the police station and the residential complex,” he said.

The SHO said that all works of the police station stopped due to the outage, which was restored only after senior police officers talked to officials in the administration late in the night.

Meanwhile, UPPCL executive engineer P K Singh said that the police station was using power without a valid meter connection. “There was significant power consumption in the police station and also in the residential complex. Once the power meter also caught fire and it was damaged. The police station was directly using power from the neighbouring pole. The power department had disconnected the supply, and later fixed it with a meter,” he said.

The UPPCL official further said that the police department also has dues to clear.

The SHO, however, said disconnecting power supply was illogical. “The issue of dues should be discussed and cleared at higher level.The outage had created problems for the police personnel and also their family members,” he said.