Regular power cuts plague Sirsa residents amid scorching heat

Anil Kakkar

Sirsa, May 26

Residents are grappling with prolonged power outages amid sweltering heat. The temperature in Sirsa has reached 48.4°C today, making their lives difficult in the absence of electricity.

The Electricity Department has been receiving complaints from across the district, but officials cite shortage of manpower as the reason for not addressing these.

Most colonies in the city are experiencing long power cuts, especially after 11 pm. Even posh areas are also facing the same problem.

Vinay Singh, a resident of Ajay Vihar, said the power supply had been erratic for over a week. “Despite numerous complaints, there has been no improvement. In the scorching heat, inverters do not work properly. Children and the elderly have to suffer a lot at night without electricity,” he added.

Hakma Ahuja, a resident of Preet Nagar, said the power outages had become frequent as the temperature rose.

She said, “Power cuts last five to six hours in a day, resulting in water shortage,” she added.

Criticising politicians, Ahuja said they made big promises while seeking votes, but after elections, they do not show up. They should not ignore the problems of people, she said.

Anand Kumar from Nohria Bazaar expressed frustration over power cuts and said the Electricity Department was inefficient in resolving the problem. He said while villages get 24-hour electricity, the city barely gets power for five to six hours every day.

He said numerous complaints had been made to the Electricity Department, but all in vain. At Jamal village, residents have been protesting for 18 days due to electricity and water shortage. They said the administration had not listened to their grievances.

The administration had paid no heed. On the election day, ‘dhani’ residents boycotted voting. Jaiveer Sheoran, Harisingh Nitharwal and Satbir Kumar, who are leading the protest, said their problems remained unresolved so they decided not to cast their vote.

When the correspondent tried to contact six service centre numbers provided by the Electricity Department, none of the calls were answered.

Four landline and two mobile numbers remained busy for a long time and no one answered the calls. Efforts to get in touch with the authorities through a WhatsApp number failed to bear fruit.

Despite repeated attempts, Electricity Department officials could not be contacted for their comments. The department attributes the power supply failure to increased load.