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Powerless people in city wake up
HUNDREDS OF traders of the medicine market opposite LLR Hospital blocked the road, from the main hospital gate up to the medical college flyover, in protest against severe power crisis. Expressing anger at the poor power supply, a Congress MLA Ajay Kapoor told KESCo managing director Arun that if the situation did not improve, he would be kidnapped. The entire market was without power supply from 11 am to 5 pm on Friday and Saturday. The angry traders closed their shops and blocked the road in front of the LLR hospital.
HUNDREDS OF traders of the medicine market opposite LLR Hospital blocked the road, from the main hospital gate up to the medical college flyover, in protest against severe power crisis.
Expressing anger at the poor power supply, a Congress MLA Ajay Kapoor told KESCo managing director Arun that if the situation did not improve, he would be kidnapped.
The entire market was without power supply from 11 am to 5 pm on Friday and Saturday. The angry traders closed their shops and blocked the road in front of the LLR hospital. They also closed the main gate of the hospital and prevented the patients from entering there.
All vehicular traffic in the area came to a grinding halt for almost one-and-half hour. They also raised slogans against the State Government and KESCo administration.
Traders’ association president Kamaljeet Singh accused the Kesco officials of turning a blind eye to all their complaints. “Traders have already suffered a loss to the tune of several lakhs of rupees. Vaccines which need refrigeration have been damaged as the temperature required to keep the medicines cool could not be generated due to power crisis,” Singh said.
It was only after senior officials of the district administration assured traders of resolving the power crisis that the blockade was lifted.
Meanwhile about 50 to 60 residents of Halsi Road attacked the La Touche road power sub-station and ransacked it. Junior engineer of the sub-station Ramesh Rajpal was gheraoed by the mob. The mob also tore the complaint and duty registers of the sub-station and manhandled Rajpal.
“How we are responsible for the power crisis? We are simply supplying the power that we get from the State Capital,” Rajpal said.
In another incident, hundreds of residents of Naubasta ghreaoed the Naubasta sub-station on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday.
The angry residents threw stones at the sub-station and manhandled the Kesco officials.
The agitation continued for almost one-and-half hour and the mob dispersed only after power supply to the area was restored. After the BJP leaders gheraoed the top KESCo officials yesterday, today Congress MLA Ajay Kapoor warned the Kesco MD.
Kapoor went to Kesco MD’s office and told him: “If the power situation is not improved within seven days, we will be forced to kidnap you.”
