Angul: With the scorching summer heat at its peak, frequent unscheduled power cuts and low voltage, especially around midnight and in the wee hours, have left the residents in parts of the state in the lurch.
While people cannot even step outside their houses due to the intense heat wave conditions, the frequent power cuts have made people lose their cool and patience.
A case in point is the plight of 240 villages under Pallahara sub-division in Angul district. The simmering heat and frequent power cuts have made the people irritable. The prevailing Nor’wester rainfall has added to their woes with rising humidity levels.
This situation has been prevailing for the past two months. In the absence of electricity, people are forced to depend on kerosene lamps for light during night time.
Troubled over frequent power outages, the residents of Pallahara, have threatened to stage protests if the problem persists.
The locals alleged that though there are three grids to supply electricity to Pallahara, supply systems have not been maintained for a long time, despite sanction of funds, resulting in power cut woes.
At present, the power lines pass through forest to the rural areas of Pallahara. During Nor’westers, trees get uprooted and insulators burst leading to interruption in power supply, said electricity department officials.
