Erratic power supply irks Karimganj Citizens

Special Correspondent

Silchar: Though there has been significant improvement in the supply and distribution of power in Barak Valley after coming to power of Sarbananda Sonowal government, still there are some areas where common people have to suffer due to unscheduled load shedding.

The people of Karimganj for reasons best known to the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) have been witnessed to frequent power cuts, creating unforeseen problems in their day to day life. The Karimganj district Congress leaders and workers tried to bring out a protest rally on Thursday but were prevented by the police on the ground that 144 Crpc is clamped in the entire district.

Later on the Congress group led by its district president Satu Roy, Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, MLA, and Swapan Ghose along with National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) leaders and followers burnt an effigy in front of the Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB). They raised slogans in a chorus and demanded explanation for the promises made by BJP government to ensure 24x7 power supply. Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha venting out his anguish and anger told the mediapersons assembled there about the plight of people due to frequent load shedding. The supply of water is irregular and the rising mercury has made life miserable.

Continuing in the same vein, NSUI president Rajen Choudhury too hit out at APDCL and asked it to show mercy towards the patients, old and infirm who cannot sleep at night and even during day owing to extreme heat. The district administration has also been put on the dock for maintaining stoic silence. Despite the prohibitory orders, Congress and NSUI leaders and workers could manage to reach the office of the APDCL AGM Sanjib Das Gupta and kept him under siege for nearly one hour. The explanation given by the AGM was that the transformer at Dullabhcherra had become inoperative. Assam Power Grid Corporation is making desperate attempts to repair and put it in order.

When the agitated leaders and supporters were fed with the information that it would take at least 2 weeks to set the transformer in question in order, they lost all their sense of balance and started accusing the APDCL of gross negligence and indifference towards Barak Valley. It is really surprising as revealed by an officer of the Assam Power Grid Corporation that a new transformer has to be brought all the way from Bishwanath Chariali which will take not less than 15 days. Finding no way out, MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha contacted Tapan Gogoi, minister of state for power who assured him that he would address the problem seriously for its immediate redressal. Chandan Kumar Roy, senior journalist, said over telephone from Karimganj, “There is virtually no improvement in power supply. Karimganj and its vast areas continue to reel under power cuts”.