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Lights go off during President Murmu's speech in Odisha, she continues her address | Watch
The power snag lasted for 9 minutes, from 11:56 am to 12:05 pm, according to PTI.
On Saturday, lights went off for 9 minutes during the 12th convocation of the Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University in Odisha's Baripada. Incidentally, the snag took place at a time when the convocation ceremony was being addressed by its chief guest, President Droupadi Murmu, who hails from the state.
The President, however continued her speech as the mic system was unaffected. The venue's air conditioning system, too, kept working normally.
“…power is playing hide and seek,” Murmu, who was speaking in her native tongue, Odia, was heard saying, even as the audience listened to her patiently despite nothing being visible.
Murmu, India's second female head of state (after Pratibha Patil), was elected to the country's highest constitutional office in July last year, succeeding Ram Nath Kovind.
Officials on power snag
The snag lasted from 11:56 am to 12:05 pm. According to Bhaskar Sarkar, CEO, Tata Power Northern Odisha Power Distribution Limited (TPNODL), there was no distribution disruption in the hall, and the glitch was apparently due to certain defects in the electrical wiring.
Meanwhile, expressing regret and apologising for the power cut, vice-chancellor SK Tripathy blamed himself for the ‘unfortunate incident.’
“We are ashamed, and will certainly launch a probe into the incident. Action will be taken against those found responsible. The state-owned Industrial Development Corporation Limited supplied the generator for the event. We will ask them what was the reason behind the glitch,” said Tripathy.
(With PTI inputs)
