Sachin Tendulkar in action during the semi-final match against Pakistan in Mohali on Wednesday. (PTI)

Patna, March 31: At a time when power play is the buzzword in the cricketing world, people of Bihar are jostling with truant power supply.

Taking note of the public demand, who are running with wires in their hand to watch India play because of lack of power supply, the Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) has initiated steps to ensure uninterrupted power supply on Saturday.

That day, India takes on Sri Lanka in the World Cup final.

The cricket fans, except that of the state capital, have been deprived of watching most of the matches of India in the World Cup because of three to five hours of powercuts.

Wednesday was an exception, though. People heaved a sigh of relief during the nerve-setting India-Pakistan semi-final match because of unabated power supply on account of increased allocation from the central sector.

The board has made similar arrangements to ensure uninterrupted power supply for the grand finale between India and Sri Lanka on Saturday. “We are trying our best to make power available in the districts so that people can watch the big match without any disturbance. We have requested for an increase in power allocation, particularly on Saturday,” BSEB chairman P.K. Rai told The Telegraph.

Asked whether the board was contemplating to purchase additional power for the match on the lines of some of the states, Rai said BSEB gets power from National Thermal Power Corporation’s (NTPC’s) unit at Kahalgaon, Talcher, Farakka, besides getting power from National Hydro-Electric Power Corporation’s plants and Power Trading Corporation.

“If the board’s energy requirement is fulfilled as per its allocation from the central sector, we will not need to make any additional purchase to meet our demand,” Rai added.

The board, on an average, receives around 1,200-1,300MW against 1,722MW from the central sector schedule. The power allocation, however, at one point of time plummeted to its lowest level of 600MW from the central sector in the past 12 days. The allocation hovered between 800MW and 850MW after a few NTPC plants stopped power generation.

With the board’s initiative, people hailing from rural pockets will not have to make any extra effort to watch the match.

“If BSEB fulfils its promise of providing uninterrupted power supply on the day of the World Cup final, I will not have to collect money from the residents of the area to hire a generator or projector, which had cost Rs 1,200 on the day of the semi-final,” said Sujit Kumar, a resident of Kamra in Muzaffarpur.