Villagers gheraoed electricity office over persistent power cuts

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.