Residents' patience wears thin as power woes continue

BHUBANESWAR: Though the state government has claimed to have restored power to 80 per cent consumers in the state capital by midnight on Friday, uninterrupted power supply is still a distant dream for the residents.
The blistering heat and high level of humidity have added to the woes of the people.
The slow pace of power restoration has caused severe resentment. Residents of different localities have staged protests and demonstrations seeking restoration of power in their areas.
"After every hour of power, we have load-shedding for five or six hours at a stretch," he said. "What is the point of giving power for even that one hour? At least the government should announce when they are going to disconnect electricity. We can then collect drinking water or complete daily chores on time," said Rashmi Rekha Swain, a housewife of Unit-4.
On Saturday, residents blocked National Highway (NH) 203 at Samantarapur for several hours to demand uninterrupted current. The people blocked the highway at Satasankha between Bhubaneswar and Puri seeking power restoration and proper relief distribution. The blockade led to the disruption of vehicular movement, including mobile ATM vans and hundreds of buses and trucks.
On Friday, the people of the Garage Square area blocked NH-203 for several hours to protest against the delay in power restoration. Students and staff of Utkal University also staged a protest seeking power on the campus, which has more than 1,000 residents, including hostel students.
"This is an example of sheer callousness and failure of administration. Even after eight days since Fani made landfall, the government has failed to restore power in the capital despite taking help from the neighbouring states. I don't know what it learnt from past experience," said Manoranjan Mohapatra, a resident of Goutam Nagar.
Vendors and shopkeepers in Unit-1, Unit-4 and Saheed Nagar daily markets said the lack of ventilation in the markets was making their lives hell. "The power was restored on Thursday night but there was no current throughout the day on Friday. The market felt like an oven. Many people fell ill. Today, we arranged for a generator for the day. We will close early," said Santosh Parida, a shop owner in the Unit-1 market.
Official sources said 300 groups, each comprising 10 people, are working 24X7 to restore power in the city. Around 40,000 electric poles were uprooted due to the falling of trees, they added. "The scale of devastation is massive. If we provide uninterrupted power to 20 per cent of the people and keep the rest in darkness, will that be acceptable? We request the people to cooperate with our workers and linesmen who are working hard in adverse conditions," said Sanjay Singh, secretary of the information and public relations department.