Gaya urban consumers miffed over frequent power outages, voltage fluctuations

Gaya: Over one lakh power consumers in Gaya's urban division are facing persistent power outages and frequent voltage fluctuations, which are damaging electronic appliances and shortening their lifespan.

Additionally, low-hanging distribution cables pose serious safety hazards, while inadequate earthing is further deteriorating the overall power quality, according to consumer complaints. Braj Nandan Pathak, convener of the Vidyut Upbhokta Sangharsh Samiti, attributed these issues to infrastructural deficiencies. He said, "Despite adequate power availability, consumers continued to suffer from both quantity and quality-related problems.

In the absence of an AB switch, the whole area suffers a shutdown even when just one transformer develops snags. If AB switches are installed and operational, repairs could be localised, avoiding regular outages.

" Agreeing with Pathak, Anup Kedia, Patron of the Central Bihar Chamber of Commerce, said, "Despite paying commercial rate tariffs to the power distribution company, business people are not getting proper power supply, and whatever power is being supplied to them is qualitatively poor due to voltage fluctuation and allied problems.

This condition dents the credibility of official claims on the issue of electricity.

"

Acknowledging the outage issues faced by consumers, Sandeep Prakash, AGM and superintending engineer of the South Bihar Power Distribution Company, stated that the disruptions are due to ongoing maintenance work in the grid. He assured that normal power supply would be restored ahead of the Prime Minister's visit and that uninterrupted electricity would be ensured during the upcoming Pitrapaksh mela.Addressing concerns about AB switches, Prakash explained that these switches are integrated components of transformers and often malfunction due to improper handling. He said that sourcing replacements could be challenging but affirmed the company's commitment to resolving the issue promptly.Regarding complaints about low-hanging cable bunches, the official cited limited space for pole installation and a lack of public cooperation as key obstacles.