Erratic power supply by Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (JBVNL) coupled with the punishing heat tortured over five lakh residents in several parts of the steel city on Sunday.
Localities in Mango, Azadnagar, Jugsalai, Bagbera, Govindpur, Bhuiyandih and Uliyan in Kadma received electricity in fits and starts till Monday morning. All these localities fall under JBVNL command areas in Jamshedpur and Mango divisions.
“The day’s temperature, which had started to increase from Saturday, shot up on Sunday. Throughout the day, we had to remain at home with the power supply getting tripped frequently, causing immense suffering for all, especially children,” said Anirudh Singh, a resident of Dimna Road in Mango.
Singh, a businessman, said they were accustomed to the heat during the summer every year, but this time the lockdown made it more unbearable.
“People cannot come out in the open for fresh air for fear of flouting the lockdown protocols,” he added.
Vivek Kumar, a resident of Bhuiyandih, was equally vocal against JBVNL.
“Despite industrial units and commercial establishments remaining closed because of the lockdown, JBVNL made us go through a nightmarish experience on Sunday. Children at home couldn’t bear the sweltering heat and kept crying all night,” Vivek added.
Power supply gets frequently disrupted despite JBVNL getting maximum of the earmarked slots in Jamshedpur and Mango divisions.
Vishal Kumar, JBVNL executive engineer (Mango division), said 50MW power is transmitted from Gamharia and Baliguma power grids to the Mango division, which was getting full supply. “Despite that, a power crisis hit the localities because a large number of consumers have started using ACs and coolers since Sunday. As a result, feeders of the power sub-stations have become overloaded causing power to trip frequently,” Kumar said.
He blamed the sudden increase in temperature for the disruption in supply and said they were trying to improve the supply in Mango.