Ahead of Ramzan, set to begin this weekend, residents of Dihana village in Nuh are a worried lot due to erratic power supply for the past four days.
Though power and water shortage are nothing new for Nuh, one of the most backward districts in Haryana, locals said successive governments had ensured adequate electricity and water during Ramzan.
BJP rule
“The Congress government ensured at least 20-hours of power supply during Ramzan. However, we haven’t got more than 10-12 hours of supply during Ramzan since the BJP came to power two years ago,” said Dihana sarpanch Niyaz Mohammad.
“Sitting in front of a cooler or under a fan in this extreme heat is indeed a big relief for those observing rozas . However, the present regime seems to be least bothered about our hardships. The power situationhere during Ramzan last year was pathetic and this year seems to be no different,” he said.
Moolthan village sarpanch Sohrab said locals had met Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) officials and politicians seeking to improve the power situation in the region, but in vain.
The sarpanch said a majority of the population in the region was poor and only four to five people in a village could afford inverters. “It’s really tough for the women and the children,” said Mr. Sohrab.
Led by former Transport Minister Aftab Ahmed, the local Congress unit workers had staged a demonstration against the State government and burnt the effigy of Haryana Chief Minister M. L. Khattar on the issue earlier this week.
Alleging that the government was unperturbed despite acute water and power shortage in Nuh, Mr. Ahmed demanded arrangements for adequate power and water supply during the holy month.
24x7 power supply
DHBVN Palwal Superintending Engineer Krishan Swarup told The Hindu that the department had written to senior officials seeking 24x7 power supply in the region during Ramzan.
“There are 42 feeders in Nuh and 20 in Palwal. We have sent a list to senior DHBVN officials seeking approval for 24x7 power supply to these feeders. We are expecting the approval by Friday evening. We have directions from the administration for uninterrupted power supply to this region.”
