Bhubaneswar: The Opposition Congress Friday berated the state government for the “precarious” power situation in the state.
Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of the House Committee on Energy, senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Narasingha Mishra said earlier there was no power problem in the Capital city, but of late it has also become a victim. “Power cut happens even during a low velocity wind,” he said.
“Even though there are villages in the state which are yet to be electrified, both the Prime Minister and state government have declared that all the villages have been supplied with power,” he said.
“As per norms, if a transformer gets burnt, it ought to be replaced within 48 hours. But, it’s not being followed. It must be followed even if consumers default on payment. The electricity officials, on the other hand, threaten not to change the defunct transformer until the arrears are paid. It is sheer violation of the law,” Mishra lambasted.
On the contrary, government Chief Whip Amar Prasad Satpathy said, “Such an allegation is nothing new. Gone are the days when our state was suffering from power deficit… it is now power surplus. There are some problems with the distribution agencies.”
On intermittent power cuts in rural areas, he said it was bound to happen as cables snapped during natural calamities. “Other technical snags also occur,” he said.
Mishra censures govt over power woes
