UMERKOTE: Fed up with low voltage and frequent power cuts in the area, residents of different villages in Nabarangpur’s Raighar block gheraoed the local electricity office and staged dharna on Tuesday.
The agitators also forced the electrical sub-divisional officer (SDO) of Raighar Swarup Patra to sit with them on the ground for nearly an hour.
The villagers said low voltage was a persistent problem in 26 panchayats of Raighar. The low voltage issue has affected thousands of farmers, who are now cultivating rabi crops such as millets and vegetables. “With motor pumps not functioning properly due to low voltage, farmers are facing difficulties in irrigating their crops. If the situation does not improve, many farmers would suffer crop loss. Besides, children are unable to study due to frequent power cuts,” they alleged.
The villagers further said they have staged demonstrations over the issue several times in the past and even requested the authorities concerned to resolve the problem. However, steps are yet to be taken to improve the situation. “We were forced to gherao the electricity office as all our pleas were ignored, they claimed.
SDO Patra said work is underway to install a 33 kv transformer to meet the electricity requirement of the area. The work is likely to be completed within a month.
Last week, villagers of four panchayats in Raighar had staged demonstration outside the electricity office over the same issue.