Puri: Locals blocked roads at three different places from 10 am till afternoon Thursday protesting against delay in restoration of electricity in many localities of the pilgrim town.
Even after nearly a month, power supply has not been restored to many localities in Puri battered by cyclone Fani. People are sweltering in summer heat because of lack of power and their anger swelled Thursday and spilled onto roads in the form of protests and road blockades.
They paralysed traffic movement for one hour. After a few hours, slum dwellers near Sri Ram Temple blocked the road while the residents of Penthakata burned tyres.
Even though the locals have approached the authorities concerned, no step has been taken to restore power supply. Though electricity has been restored in main areas, there is inordinate delay in erecting new electricity poles and providing connections in slums and other low-lying areas. This has caused discontentment among those living in these areas. “We are facing difficulties as electricity restoration work is yet to start,” locals told the media.
Some workers are demanding bribe for fixing utility poles to get work done, alleged locals. “CESU authorities have been told to restore electricity at the earliest,” said legislator Jayant Kumar Sarangi.
“Electricity restoration work is going on at a brisk pace. More than a hundred technicians were deployed from outside. Locals are requested to co-operate with the workers,” said additional engineer of CESU Siba Prasad Swain.
