Women protest against the poor power supply in Bhagalpur. Picture by Amit Kumar

Bhagalpur, March 27: Power users blamed the Bihar State Electricity Board and district officials concerned for the acute electricity crisis at an emergency meet convened by health minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey.

The minister had instructed divisional commissioner D.S. Pandey yesterday to call people from different sections of the society to help restore peace in the city. Many participants at the meeting said there could have been a catastrophe had the flames from Mozhidpur power station torched by the mob spread to the transformer repair workshop on the same premises. The workshop stores drums of highly inflammable transformer oil.

“Neither have the public representatives from the ruling party time for the people nor are the officials bothered about their problems. In such a situation, the public has to take the matter in their hands to draw the state government’s attention,” said senior Congress leader Ajit Sharma today.

RJD district president Chakrapani Himansu said: “After yesterday’s incident, the state has decided to supply 30MW power to Bhagalpur. Why was the decision not taken earlier? Who will be responsible for the loss incurred in yesterday’s violence?”

Bhagalpur, though, has a long history of power-related violence. In 1987, agitated silk weavers had burnt B.K. Mehera, a former deputy superintendent of police at Champanagar, alive.

In 2008, six people were killed at Kahalgaon in a police firing when people took to the streets to protest poor power supply.

“I had many opportunities earlier to stage dharnas and organise agitations in Bhagalpur to call for improvement of power supply. I always felt that the situation would deteriorate because of laxity of the officials concerned,” said Choubey over the phone from Patna.

Bijoy Kumar, a social activist, blamed the politicians and the officials concerned for politicising the issue to divert attention from the problems faced by the people.

Many people, however, lambasted Choubey, BJP MP Shahnawaz Hussain and officials concerned for ignoring power problems from January.

“From January, the city witnessed several agitations by different political parties, social organisations and residents. Instead of taking matters seriously, they started blaming each other. Saturday’s incident was the result of gross negligence by public representatives and officials concerned,” said Prakash Chandra Gupta, the president of Bijli Upbhokta Sangharsh Samiti.

“NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation) is located at Bhagalpur. It acquired land from local residents and makes a profit. But why do these people have to face darkness?” said Rajiv Sinha, a social activist.

Ramgopal Poddar, the president of eastern Bihar Chamber of Commerce, said the acute power crisis forced the Bhagalpur market to suffer losses of Rs 20-25 crore daily from January this year.

Pandey instructed officials of Bhagalpur Municipal Corporation to arrange alternative generator services at pumping stations to help provide drinking water during power crisis.

Senior superintendent of police Sanjay Singh was not available for comment on why the police were conspicuous by their absence yesterday.