Public anger over prolonged power cuts erupted across Lucknow on Tuesday, with angry residents staging protests in several areas. Hundreds of people stormed the RDSO power house in Kesri Khera ward late at night, forcing officials and employees to flee the spot.
Police teams from two police stations later reached the area after receiving information about the unrest. Similar protests were also reported at Ambedkar Power House in Nadarganj and in Rajajipuram’s Saripur area, where residents came out onto the streets over electricity outages.
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Seeing the crowd of people at the RDSO Power House, police from 2 police stations were called.
Angry people surrounded the power house and chanted slogans.
Angry people continued to protest outside the power house until late at night.
People troubled by power cuts in Saripur area of Rajajipuram came out on the streets.
Trouble for population of 25,000 in Kesri Khera
Local councillor Devendra Singh Yadav Jeetu said the transformer in Surya Nagar frequently breaks down. According to him, electricity department staff repair it during the day, but power supply fails again at night. He said around 25,000 residents were being affected by the recurring outages.
On Tuesday night, nearly 1,000 angry residents surrounded the power house and raised slogans against the electricity department. Residents alleged that officials were not even answering phone calls, worsening the situation further.
According to locals, the power supply went off around 7 pm and people continued protesting outside the power house late into the night.
SSO flees during protest at Nadarganj
Residents also staged a strong protest at Ambedkar Power House in Nadarganj over repeated power cuts. Protesters said they were fed up with daily outages and claimed that no official was listening to their complaints.
Amid the protest, the SSO and other officials allegedly fled the power house.
People alleged that there was no electricity even at Ambedkar Power House.
Strong protest in Kakori over four-day power crisis
Residents of Janata Vihar Colony in the Kakori police station area said they had been facing a severe electricity crisis for the past four days. According to residents, the colony has been receiving electricity for only two to three hours a day.
People complained of both low-voltage and high-voltage issues. The ongoing heatwave has also worsened the water shortage in the area.
Angry consumers reached the FCI power house around 8 pm on Tuesday and staged a protest outside. The gate of the power house remained shut and no electricity department employee came out to address the complaints. The protest continued for nearly two hours.
Residents Amit Kumar, Ramesh Rajput, Shivam Gautam, Aditya Kashyap and Rohit Gupta, among others, said the colony had only one transformer and there were also problems with damaged wires.
In Dwarkapuri and Adarsh Vihar, they said, half the colony had electricity while the remaining areas remained in darkness. Kakori police reached the spot and tried to contact electricity department officials. Police assured residents that the supply would be restored by late night.
A massive fire broke out in the electricity pole.
Massive fire breaks out in electricity pole
A major fire broke out in an electricity pole near Trikoneshwar Temple Bandha in Triveni Nagar-3, triggering panic in the area. Residents alleged that the incident was immediately reported to the electricity department, but officials did not answer calls.
Locals warned that such negligence could lead to a major accident at any time. Panic spread among residents present near the site during the fire. Citizens demanded immediate action from the administration.
At 9 PM, an electrical cable caught fire and burned fiercely in Harikanshgarhi Colony, connected to the Ambedkar University sub-station. The entire area has been without electricity since 9 PM.
Protest in Rajajipuram over prolonged outages
Residents also protested in Rajajipuram over continuous power cuts. A resident named Utkarsh said he went to complain at Madhyanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited’s Rajajipuram C Block office regarding outages in Sector 12, Sector A and nearby areas.
He said electricity supply had remained erratic for several days. Whenever complaints were lodged, officials allegedly responded that there was no lineman available and repairs would take time. According to him, power went out at 7 pm and had still not returned by 11 pm.
Transformer catches fire in Faizullaganj
Late at night, a transformer caught fire in Faizullaganj, disrupting electricity supply to nearby homes. Residents said they contacted electricity department officials, but no immediate solution was provided.
Locals alleged that officials from LESA were informed immediately. When the junior engineer did not answer calls, residents contacted the SDO. They further claimed that the situation later led to an argument between two groups of local residents.
A transformer caught fire late at night in front of Kasamanda House on Park Road, Lucknow. A fire engine that arrived at the scene brought the fire under control.
Residents in Saripur take to streets
People troubled by power cuts in Saripur area of Rajajipuram also came out onto the streets in protest. Residents said that when they reached the sub-station to lodge complaints, staff informed them that no lineman was available and the fault could not be repaired immediately.
One resident said his wife was pregnant and the prolonged outage had created severe difficulties for the family.
