Fed up with power crisis, residents of Jharkhand's Pakur block road for 10 hours

Pakur (Jharkhand), July 24 (IANS) Frustrated over prolonged power cuts, hundreds of residents in Jharkhand’s Pakur took to the streets, blocking the Pakur-Dhuliyan main road for nearly 10 hours.

The protest, which began around Wednesday midnight, ended only on Thursday afternoon after officials held talks with the agitated villagers.

Protesters warned that if the power situation doesn't improve within 24 hours, they will resume their agitation.

Residents alleged that the district receives only 2-3 hours of electricity daily, worsening the plight of people amid severe heat and humidity.

They said schoolchildren’s studies are suffering, and the elderly and sick are facing serious difficulties. Despite repeated complaints to the authorities, no action has been taken so far, they claimed.

The blockade caused a massive traffic jam on the Pakur-Dhulian road, leaving vehicles stranded for hours. Protesters raised slogans against the Electricity Department.

Zonal Officer in-charge Sameer Alfred Murmu and Mufassil Police Station in-charge Sanjeev Jha reached the spot and assured the villagers that the issue would be addressed.

Murmu acknowledged the severity of the situation and said a meeting with the district administration and power officials would be convened soon to improve the supply.

Only after this assurance did the villagers lift the blockade.

This is not an isolated incident. Just a few days ago, residents of Gopalpur village under Hiranpur police station blocked the Hiranpur-Dangapada main road for nearly four hours over a faulty transformer.

Similarly, on June 5, people in Littipada had blocked the Littipada-Sahibganj road near Tilka Manjhi Chowk, protesting low voltage and erratic supply.

Rural consumers say that irregular power supply has become a persistent problem, severely impacting their daily lives. They warned that if officials fail to act on their latest promises, they will launch a larger agitation.

--IANS

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