During Ramzan, electricity outage proves extra penance

PANAJI: The power outage situation on Sunday affected those observing the Ramzan fast. The situation took a toll on both, working professionals as well as the rozedar (fast keeper) at home.


“There was no power for hours. As the day progressed, it started to get hot, making my wife, who was fasting, dizzy. I made three glasses of lime juice for her when she broke the fast for ‘iftaar’,” said a senior citizen from Merces, Mohammad Rashid.

Lecturer at MES college, Vasco, Nuzhat Khan, who is on maternity leave, said that with no electricity for over 15 hours she had to endure a very difficult day. This was reiterated by a government employee who said she couldn’t sleep through Sunday night due to mosquitoes . “I ended up staying awake till ‘sehri’ time at 4am. I finally slept at dawn only to wake up at 9am. I reached late to office as a result,” she said.

For Panaji businessman Imran Shaikh, it was a dark day at business. “There was no electricity the entire day, which discouraged people from entering the pitch-dark Panaji municipal market building. Many businessmen like me had to sit idle in our stores.”