Ganesh & Vikramaditya
Baratang, July 10: North and Middle Andaman Zilla Parishad Adhyaksh Mr. R. Alager Swami has expressed serious concern over the prolonged power crisis in Baratang, alleging that residents have been facing erratic electricity supply for the past several days. He warned that if the situation is not resolved by Monday, he would be compelled to launch a public protest and gherao the concerned office on Tuesday.
Speaking to the media, Mr. Alager Swami said the power situation in Baratang has deteriorated significantly after the installation of a hired 500 KVA generator set. He claimed that the generator is inadequate to meet the electricity demand of the area and has been plagued by frequent technical faults as well as issues relating to the availability of urea required for its operation.
He stated that earlier, power supply from Baratang reached up to Phooltala through larger 1250 KVA and 750 KVA generator sets. However, following the replacement with the 500 KVA hired generator, electricity supply has become highly unreliable, forcing residents to depend largely on power supplied from Kadamtala.
Mr. Alager Swami further alleged that electricity supply from the Rangat side has also been affected in recent days due to the replacement of electricity poles, aggravating the crisis in the region.
He said the irregular power supply has severely disrupted normal life, affecting hospitals, government offices, banks, Common Service Centres (CSCs), photocopy shops, businesses and students preparing for their studies. Residents, he said, have also been facing long hours without electricity, causing widespread inconvenience.
The Zilla Parishad Adhyaksh informed that around 25 to 30 PRI members and local residents, led by Up-Pramukh Mr. Vijay Mandal, recently met the Assistant Commissioner, Rangat, and submitted their concerns over the worsening situation. He said he has also taken up the matter with the concerned authorities and urged them to restore normal electricity supply at the earliest.
Stating that the people of Baratang regularly pay their electricity bills and deserve uninterrupted power supply, Mr. Alager Swami appealed to the Electricity Department to take immediate corrective measures. He added that if the issue remains unresolved by Monday, he, along with local residents, would launch an agitation on Tuesday demanding restoration of adequate power supply.
He said public expectations from their elected representatives are high and assured that he would continue to pursue the matter until a permanent solution is found.
