Darkness in city as Jakkanpur grid trips

PATNA: Major parts of Bihar, including Patna, are reeling under an acute power crisis following complete breakdown of 50 KVA transformer of Jakkanpur power grid station since Tuesday evening.
Faced with severe crisis, the Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) has restricted power
supply to various localities of Patna, which is getting 200-215 MW against its normal demand
of 300 MW.
Several localities of Patna, including Golakpur, Ranighat, Mahendru, Anandpuri, Gardanibagh, Kankarbagh, Rajendra Nagar, Rajiv Nagar, Mithapur, Mohanpur, Punaichak, Patna City, Bailey Road, Gardiner Road, Fraser Road, Exhibition Road, Boring Road and New Capital Area, remained badly affected by erratic power supply.
Additional secretary of the BSEB Ramjit Singh said that several technical board officials were engaged in repairing the transformer of the Jakkanpur grid till late Tuesday evening.
Singh, who is also the spokesman of the board, hoped that it would be repaired soon. Singh maintained that Bihar was getting normal power supply going by its requirement.
Power situation is likely to deteriorate further during the month of June and July in Bihar due to non-maintenance of its transmission network.
Several parts of Bihar is facing severe power crisis for the last several days on this count.
A large number of residents residing in Patna University area complained about the dismal power supply in this region. “There was no power supply in this are since morning. The supply was restored only in the noon,� PN Upadhyaya of Science College said.
“Life has become tortuous in the absence of power. With the dismal power supply, we could not get adequate water even
for the day-to day work,� said Sarita, a housewife residing in the Anandpuri locality.
Frequent power cuts also disturbed functioning of several institutions, including Gandhi Sangrahalaya, on Tuesday.
Some of the residents living in Anandpuri complained that there was no power supply throughout Monday night.
A large number of examinees are the worst sufferers.
Frequent power cuts in various localities of Patna has made the affluent to switch back to alternative modes of power, like generators and invertors.
Meanwhile, a major part of Bihar, including Sasaram, Bhabhua, Madhubani and Darbhanga, is also in the grip of acute power crisis, according to reports reaching here.
Sources said to maintain power supply in Patna and its adjoining areas, other parts of the state have been left to fend for themselves.
The examinees in these areas of the state are also suffering on account of power shortage and so has been the case with the farmers, too, who have to depend on rain gods to irrigate their fields.