The raging summer has been made more intolerable for the district residents by frequent power cuts.

Though Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) claims that it has been purchasing 500MW from the open market for distribution in the state, the ground reality in the district is harrowing.

Various areas of Gaya get power for only eight to 10 hours everyday.

For the rest of the day, they suffer the heat and humidity. After sundown, they have to work or study in the dark.

Jag Jivan Road resident and bookseller Ajit Agarwal told The Telegraph: “At times, we don’t get power even for one or two hours. We can’t recharge our inverters because of the frequent power cuts. On one hand, the power tariff has gone up. On the other, the supply is not satisfactory.”

He added: “There should be continuous power supply in an area for at least three to four hours. Load shedding should be done in a manner to ensure that people suffer the least.”

Authorities admit that the power supply to the state was not adequate.

Om Prakash, general manager, BSEB Magadh area, told The Telegraph that against the requirement of around 50MW, only 35MW power was being supplied to Gaya at present.

He added: “The supply reduces to around 20MW in the evening, when the demand of power increases across the state. The available power is being supplied on one-hour rotation cycles to different areas.”

The worst sufferers of the poor power supply are the students.

Homemaker and Gautam Buddha Road resident Seema Gupta said: “The maximum temperature in Gaya has crossed 40°C. But because of the power cuts, students have to study in the dark and suffer the heat. They have to use kerosene lanterns to do their homework. We cannot recharge the battery of inverters as we don’t have power for long enough.”

Frequent power cuts have also adversely affected the sale of soft drinks.

Gopal Prasad, who owns a betel shop near Gaya collectorate, said: “People demand chilled soft drinks, but I have to disappoint them. I am unable to cool the soft drink bottles, as the refrigerator is switched off most of the time.”

He added: “These days, the nominations for Gaya Municipal Corporation elections are being filed. The candidates and their supporters turn up in good number. I could have sold chilled soft drinks worth Rs 5,000 today (Tuesday). But most customers refused to purchase warm soft drinks.”

Authorities, however, feel that such a condition should not persist.

BSEB spokesperson Hare Ram Pandey told The Telegraph over telephone that the board was purchasing 500MW power from the open market.

“It is being allotted to the districts. There should not be shortage of power,” he added.