John Wilbert & Vikramaditya
Wimberlygunj, May 12: In a display of frustration and dissatisfaction, residents of Bambooflat, Wimberlygunj, Kanyapuram, and adjoining areas organized a protest today in front of the Electricity Site Office in Wimberlygunj. The protest, which later escalated into a chakka jam, aimed to voice their grievances against the rampant and indiscriminate power cuts plaguing the area.
According to reports, the residents gathered in large numbers, shouting slogans against the Electricity Department, as they have been experiencing continuous power cuts for the past week. The power outages, lasting two to three hours with intermittent gaps, have become increasingly unbearable. “Today, the people of our region witnessed an extended power cut starting from the night of May 11 at around 1:00 AM until 2:00 PM today when electricity supply was finally restored. This situation is becoming intolerable,” expressed a villager from Bambooflat.
Efforts by local police officials to pacify the residents proved unsuccessful, as the protesters remained steadfast in their demands. Subsequently, the villagers reached out to the officials of the State Administration’s (SA) electricity department, who promised to address the issue and assured minimum load shedding in the Bambooflat area. Following this assurance, the chakka jam was called off.
Residents of Kanyapuram Panchayat expressed their distress, stating that the power outages have created a dire situation where people are suffering greatly due to the significant gap between power demand and supply. “From 1:00 AM to 2:00 PM today, we faced extensive load shedding. Frustrated by this, we decided to protest against the electricity department, led by Mr. V.K Abdul Aziz, Zilla Parishad Member of Bindraban Panchayat, and Mr. K. Venkat Ram Babu, the Pradhan of Wimberlygunj,” explained a villager.
Mr. Venkat Ram Babu, the Pradhan of Wimberlygunj, spoke to Andaman Sheekha Daily and highlighted the long-standing issues faced by the villagers, including erratic power supply and the absence of staff at the site office, with the Junior Engineer allegedly being frequently unavailable. Upon hearing about the problems, the electricity department officials assured to address the issues promptly.
However, the villagers conveyed that if their demands were not met and prolonged load shedding continued, they would resort to a ‘Chakka Jaam’ in the village, indicating their determination to fight for a reliable and uninterrupted power supply.
