Wretched State of the Harda Feeder: Electricity Blacked Out for Three Days in Ward 12 of Rahua Panchayat under Sadar Block, Purnia; Consumers Distressed Amid Humid Heat, Outrage Against Electricity Department
Purnia/Harda/Sadar (Bihar): On one hand, the government and the electricity department are making grand claims of uninterrupted 24-hour power supply across Bihar; on the other hand, ground realities are enough to expose these claims. Residents of Ward 12 in Rahua Panchayat under Sadar Block, falling within the Harda Feeder, have been grappling with a severe power crisis for the past three days. Due to complete power outage for three consecutive days, life for consumers in this rural locality has become subhuman.
Amidst humid heat and scorching sun, the absence of electricity has not only disrupted normal life but also paralyzed children's studies, the health of the elderly, and the operations of small-scale business owners. Intense anger prevails among local villagers and consumers against the callous system of the electricity department. Let us explore a detailed account of this severe power crisis in Ward 12 of Rahua Panchayat, the hardships faced by consumers, and departmental apathy.
Background of the Incident: Power Supply Abruptly Cut Off for Three Days
Ward 12 of Rahua Panchayat is typically a standard rural ward where fluctuations in power are commonplace, but this time the matter is distinct and grave.
Ward Plunged into Darkness for Three Days: According to local residents, power supply to this ward has remained completely disrupted for over 72 hours. For the first few hours, people brushed it off as a routine fault or technical glitch, but when the bulbs refused to glow even after three continuous days, public patience ran out.
Callous System of Harda Feeder: This entire region falls under the Harda Feeder. Consumers allege that the functioning of the Harda Feeder and its associated power sub-station has become extremely sluggish. Even minor wind-and-rain storms or transformer malfunctions take multiple days to repair, subjecting the public to immense hardships.
Humid Heat and Water Crisis: Villagers Left Helpless
In this humid July-August weather, when fire descends from the skies accompanied by scorching sunlight and heavy humidity, surviving without electricity is nothing short of punishment.
Electrical Appliances Reduced to Showpieces: Fans, coolers, inverters, and ACs in homes have been reduced to mere showpieces. Inverters exhausted their charge and gave up on the very first day. At night, people find themselves unable to sleep due to the terror of mosquitoes and humidity.
Severe Drinking Water Crisis: Because of zero electricity, submersible pumps and motors installed across villages lie defunct, generating a massive crisis for clean drinking water. Women and children are forced to haul water from afar or hand pumps, severely disrupting daily routines.
Shadow Cast on Students' Studies and Local Commerce
The worst casualty of the power crisis has fallen upon school children's studies and local petty traders.
Children's Exams and Studies Disrupted: Exams are currently underway in schools, or preparations for the upcoming session are in progress. In the evenings, lacking illumination, children are compelled to study under lanterns or candlelight, which exerts a harmful toll on their eyesight.
Commercial Losses: Individuals who have established small shops, welding workshops, or flour mills within the ward find their operations completely paralyzed. Halting work in the absence of electricity directly strikes at the livelihoods of the poor.
Departmental Apathy and Public Outrage
Despite power remaining cut off for three continuous days, the lack of any concrete initiative by the local Junior Engineer or linemen of the electricity department has driven public anger to its peak.
No Hearing Despite Complaints: Villagers state they repeatedly attempted to contact the mobile numbers of Harda Feeder employees and concerned officials, but either the calls went unanswered or were brushed off with a standard, scripted response assuring power would be restored 'shortly'.
Threat of Agitation: Enraged villagers warned that if power supply to Ward 12 is not restored at the earliest, they will be compelled to take to the streets and besiege the Harda Feeder office.
The absence of electricity for the past three days in Ward 12 of Rahua Panchayat under Sadar Block of Purnia district proves how decrepit the power distribution system is in rural locales. Owing to the negligence and apathy of Harda Feeder officials, hundreds of families are forced to endure a subhuman existence amidst humid heat. What is required is for senior officials of the district administration and electricity department to take cognizance of this matter, immediately clear technical faults to restore power supply, and enforce strict action against negligent personnel so that the general public is delivered from such torment.
