PARADIP: Since the last couple of days, residents of the port town are scared to venture out on the two km stretch of Cuttack-Paradip State Highway from Do Chhaki to PPL Chowk after sundown, fearing robbers, snatchers and other rough elements.
The stretch, one of the busiest roads in Paradip town, plunges into darkness after sunset as CESU has snapped power supply to the street lights from last Monday over pending electricity bills. Hundreds of vehicles, including trucks and buses, ply on the road from Do Chhaki to PPL Chowk on a daily basis.
Local residents blamed authorities of Paradip Municipality, who are responsible for maintenance of civic amenities, for not paying power dues since the last five months. A senior official of the municipality said an amount of RS 2.20 lakh is required per month towards electricity bill for street lights on the road.
“Companies like IFFCO, PPL and Essar should bear the energy cost since majority of their vehicles and employees depend on this road. However, these companies have refused to pay the bills. The municipality is unable to bear such a high cost every month,” he said.
Besides, the municipality has already replaced the old electricity bulbs with LED lights to reduce power consumption, he added.
The residents claimed that several incidents of robbery and snatching have been reported in the night after power supply was snapped. Moreover, accidents are occurring daily on the stretch of road in absence of lights. CESU should have waited for a few more days before disconnecting the electricity supply, they said.
Contacted, CESU Executive Engineer Smruti Ranjan Swain said power supply has been disconnected after electricity bills for the last five months were not paid despite frequent reminders. An amount of nearly `12 lakh is pending towards electricity bills, he added.