Trade body raises concern over power cuts in Gaya

Gaya: The Central Bihar Chamber of Commerce (CBCC) has expressed concern over frequent and unscheduled power cuts, stating that these are adversely affecting business activities, especially in Manpur, where power looms operate.

Kaushalendra Pratap, patron of the CBCC, said he has raised these issues at various forums.

According to him, the situation was much better between 2014 and 2018, when a private company was engaged in power distribution work in the city. Following a dispute, the agreement with the company was cancelled, and the South Bihar Power Distribution Company Limited (SBPDCL) once again took over the distribution work.

The business body’s patron also said the private company had carried out a massive replacement of naked supply wires with insulated distribution cables, resulting in a significant improvement in power quality and prevention of electricity theft, which had earlier marred power supply in the city. He demanded special arrangements to ensure uninterrupted power supply to industries dependent on electricity to maintain their production schedules.

Responding to the issue, Ajay Kumar Singh, executive engineer of SBPDCL’s Gaya urban supply division, said the complaint was vague in nature and that he would be in a position to respond to specific instances of power cuts. “Sometimes, power cuts are inevitable for maintenance and fault repair work,” he said. He denied the allegation that the frequency of power cuts has increased in recent times.

Asked about SBPDCL’s priorities, Singh said recovery of outstanding dues from power consumers was high on the company’s agenda, especially with the financial year-end approaching. He said around 25% of the nearly 1.4 lakh power consumers in the division were listed as defaulters.