The BJP Youth Forum, Talcher Unit, held a rally on Thursday to protest against the undeclared power cuts in the area.
A procession under the leadership of Kalandi Samal started from the Hanuman Mandir at Hatatota and moved through the town with the participants holding lanterns. The protesters reached the office of the Assistant Engineer, CESU, in front of which a public meeting was held with president of Talcher BJP Youth Forum Prasant Nanda presiding over it.
Nanda said the people of Talcher have sacrificed their livelihoods and compromised with the environment for the sake of the nation by facilitating establishment of mega thermal power plants by national PSUs for supply of electricity to various States. But it is a very shameful fact that the State Government is giving mobile phones and laptops to some sections of the society instead of giving them lanterns which have become essential for people in view of power cuts.
Senior BJP leader Jajati Pattanaik said that while power cuts have become a regular feature in the area, the CESU authorities with the help of the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission has applied a new formula for domestic as well as commercial consumers under which Rs 150 and Rs 200 are to be paid, respectively, as reconnection charge per month for failure to pay their bills by some reason or other. This formula is only applicable in the CESU area.
Another leader Rangadhar Nahak said that several complaints have been lodged over power cuts and low voltage in Talcher, but the Government is in a deep slumber over the plight of the people.
He demanded supply of free electricity to the people of Talcher as per the norms relating to the establishment of power plants in the area, failing which, he threatened, the supply of coal from the mines of the Talcher area would be stopped by the locals.
The protesters offered two lanterns to the CESU Assistant Engineer, one meant for Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and the other for Energy Minister Arun Sahu. The novel protest quite amused the public. Among others, Chittaranjan Pradhan, Naresh Pradhan, Chuchu Sahu, Suresh Samal, Krushna Chandra Das, Jasobanta Das, Brundaban Behera, Susant Mohanty, Pranabandhu Samal, Santosh Mahasupkar, Chitanya Pradhan, Srimukha Sahoo, Sanatan Sahu, Aju Gochhayat and Cheru Pradhan participated in the demonstration.