Protests become violent as public patience wears out

THE PROTESTS against the grim power scenario are now taking a violent turn in Varanasi with local residents thronging power sub-stations to register their protest.

THE PROTESTS against the grim power scenario are now taking a violent turn in Varanasi with local residents thronging power sub-stations to register their protest.

HT Image

Peeved with unscheduled power cuts, the residents of Kalimahal and Kabirchaura thronged a power sub-station situated at Beniabagh on Saturday night. Not finding any power employee in the office, the mob became violent and ransacked the office. The public threw out chairs and other furniture of the office.

After getting information, the local police reached the power sub-station and resorted to mild lathicharge to disperse the angry mob.Similarly, residents of Chetganj area expressed their anger by disturbing the functioning of a consumer camp of the power department, set up for the recovery of electricity bills on Saturday.

The locals were of the view that if the power corporation did not restore smooth power supply in their area, they would not pay electricity bills to the power corporation.The officials of the power department somehow pacified the people and managed to avoid any untoward incident in the consumer camp.

cheduled and unscheduled power cuts along with frequent fluctuation in voltage have become routine features for the residents of Varanasi. The city gets hardly 8 to 10-hour power supply which also has an adverse effect on water supply.

The city dwellers are experiencing power cuts from 10 am to 3 pm during the day and from 7 pm to 9 pm in the evening but on Saturday the city witnessed power cut from 9.45 am to 4.45 pm. The condition of power supply is the worst at night when the city witnesses power cut from 12 pm to 4 am.
Demonstrations, dharnas and processions against power cuts have become regular features in the city and rural areas .