Patna, April 18: Complainants seeking solution for their power woes, at the chief minister’s weekly janata darbar, returned a dejected lot today.

The counter of the electricity department at the darbar, manned by energy minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav, principal secretary Ajay Naik and Bihar State Electricity Board chairman P.K. Rai, received a plethora of complaints regarding installation of transformers, rural electrification, waiving of bills as well as seeking jobs on compassionate grounds and regularisation of services.

However, most of the visitors returned empty handed. Many of them even complained about the way they had been treated at the darbar.

Mathura Prasad, 70, a resident of Dighwara village in Saran district had come with a plea for waiver of a bill of Rs 5,325, as he had been issued the bill for a period of 15 years when there was no power supply in his village.

“I told the board chairman that there was no electricity in the village during the 15 years of the Lalu-Rabri regime. It was restored only after Nitish Kumar came to power. A bill has been issued to me for the period when there was no power in our village. So I asked the board officials to waive off the bill,” said Prasad.

But the answer of the BSEB officials took him by surprise.

“They told me that I would have to pay the bill as I had not got my connection disconnected at that time,” said Prasad.

He added: “I had come with great expectations. But nothing happened. I was promised nothing. The officials just told me that the matter would be looked into.”

Farmers from Gola Road under Danapur sub-division area, who had been handed bills of more than Rs 1 lakh, which included interest as well, came to get the bills waived off.

“According to the state government’s notification, farmers were not supposed to be charged. But the board has suddenly sent bills amounting to Rs 65,000 to around 100 farmers of the area for 2005-06. The bill was again sent in January 2011 with added interest,” said Rajiv Ranjan, a resident of the area.

He added: “If we were not entitled to free electricity why did the board not snap our lines instead of waiting for so long?”

He, too, was not pleased with the response of the officials. “The officials feigned ignorance about the scheme. They said they would look into what can be done,” said Ranjan.

Kamlesh Sharma, a resident of New Patna Colony near Beur, had come with a request for installing poles for transmission lines. “The department set up 11 poles in the area three years ago. But the lines have not been installed on these poles. We are getting electricity supply with the help of bamboo poles, which are susceptible to accidents, especially during the rains,” said Sharma. Like the others before him, he, too, had to return empty handed. “The officials asked me to meet the sub-divisional officer at Khagaul,” Sharma said.