Irked residents gherao substation over power cuts

Lucknow: Angry over continuous power cuts, residents of Lucknow’s South City, Telibagh and Nilmatha areas surrounded officials of the Amausi zone at the 33/11 KV Utretia new substation on Wednesday night.The residents confronted the executive engineer and field staff over the worsening power crisis. They raised slogans against the power department and accused it of failing to restore regular electricity supply despite repeated complaints.The situation turned tense as furious residents refused to let the staff leave the premises for some time. Police reached the spot and escorted the staff away from the agitated crowd.The executive engineer explained to residents that the department was facing an acute shortage of staff and equipment, due to which restoration work was getting delayed. Locals said that frequent and unscheduled power interruptions over the last four days have affected their daily life. They complained that households are struggling without electricity during the peak summer season, while water supply and other essential services have also been disrupted.Residents further alleged that there was no electricity supply from 6pm on Wednesday. Similar protests were reported outside the Babasaheb BhimRao Ambedkar University sub station located about 1km away. Power supply disruptions were also reported from areas linked to the Omega sub station in Chinhat.