Region Plunged into Darkness for 10 Hours, Normal Life Disrupted
Bihpur (Bhagalpur/Naugachia): The electrical power system in the Bihpur block of the Naugachia subdivision completely collapsed due to light rain and winds on Sunday night. The power outage, which began on Sunday night, persisted until Monday morning, forcing consumers to endure oppressive humidity and darkness for nearly 10 hours. This prolonged disruption not only impacted the daily lives of residents but also severely affected local small businesses and health services.
The 'Darkness' of the Night and the Havoc of Humidity
Around 10:00 PM on Sunday night, winds accompanied by light rain shook the power grid and feeder system of Bihpur. When the power went out, residents expected supply to be restored quickly, but this hope remained unfulfilled until Monday morning. With no power throughout the night, people's sleep was severely affected. The intense heat and humidity made life miserable; for the elderly and children, surviving the night was no less than a hardship.
Affected Areas and Challenges
The problems faced by consumers due to the power outage are detailed as follows:
Shortage of Drinking Water: In most homes in Bihpur, people rely on submersible pumps. Due to the lack of electricity, water tanks ran dry, causing massive water shortages for people's morning routines.
Impact on Household Chores: Homemakers struggled significantly to prepare breakfast and meals. In the absence of power, most household appliances remained idle.
Small Businesses and Shops: As Monday is a weekly workday, there is usually a bustle of activity from the morning. Due to the lack of power, the work of shopkeepers running photocopying machines, salons, computer centers, and small workshops came to a complete standstill, leading to financial losses.
Inverters Ran Out: Due to the long duration (10 hours) of the outage, inverters in most homes were fully discharged, leading to issues with mobile charging and emergency lighting in the second half of the night.
Electricity Department's Explanation and Monday's Action
When consumers reached the local electrical sub-station in anger on Monday morning, the department explained that due to strong winds, tree branches had fallen on 11,000-volt power lines in several places. Additionally, there were reports of damaged insulators in some areas. The Junior Engineer (JE) of the electricity department stated that various teams were deployed for repair work starting Monday morning. However, given the network of wires and weather conditions, the repair work took considerable time.
Outrage Among Local Residents
Aware citizens and members of the merchant association have raised questions about the functioning of the electricity department. Local residents stated:
Lack of Minimal Maintenance: Power outages occurring even during light rain reflect the department's lax maintenance policy. The department should have conducted tree pruning and wire inspections before the monsoon, which was not done.
Lack of Information: No accurate information was provided by the department regarding when the power would be restored. Even calling the helpdesk did not yield satisfactory answers.
Administration and Future Preparation
Frequent power cuts in Bihpur have now created fear among residents about what will happen during the upcoming rainy season. Villagers have demanded that the electricity department increase manpower at the Bihpur sub-station and use modern equipment to fix technical glitches.
The disappearance of power for 10 hours in Bihpur raises a major question. After installing smart meters, the department claims that power supply will improve, but on the ground, the situation remains the same as before. The electricity department must now learn from this incident and strengthen its infrastructure so that normal life is not affected by minor weather events.
Currently, power supply was partially restored by Monday afternoon, bringing relief to the people, but this incident has left a major question mark on the department's style of functioning.
