A submerged power transformer at Dasarathpur in Jajpur. Telegraph picture

Jajpur, Oct. 17: Power supply is yet to be restored in many affected areas in the district, despite assurance by local minister Kalpataru Das and the district administration.

The electricity has been restored only in the district headquarters town, urban bodies and some block headquarters, while most of the rural areas continue to reel from darkness. It is yet to be restored at three dozens villages in Mahisara and Daulatpur gram panchayats, few metres from Paradeep-Daitary Express Highway.

“We have been without electricity for the past six days. We had power on Friday, just a day before Phailin hit the area,” said Mahisara resident Narendra Charan Behera.

Power supply to several areas of Rasulpur, Bari, Dharmasala, Dasarathpur, Binjharpur, Jajpur, Korei and Barachana blocks are yet to be restored.

The water supply at many villages across the district has been stopped since October 12 as the pumps had ceased to function without electricity. The pipe water supply system, too, has been stopped compounding the villagers’ misery.

“We have not been getting drinking water, supplied under the Rural Water and Sanitary System, since October 11, a day prior to Phailin attack,” said Arangabad resident Kabita Das.

The Northern Electricity Supply Company has restored power in 80 per cent of the urban and semi-urban areas in the district. But, 50 per cent of the rural areas in the district are yet to get power.

Panchayati raj minister Kalpataru Das, who represents the district, had assured people that electricity would be restored in the urban bodies by Sunday night and to the rural areas by Tuesday after a relief review meeting held at Jajpur on October 13.

Superintendent engineer of the company Braja Sundar Parida said power supply was likely to be restored in the district within a week.

He admitted that lack of skilled manpower and massive flood in the aftermath of Phailin had delayed the restoration.

Jajpur collector Anil Kumar Samal said he had asked the company authorities to restore power in the affected areas at the earliest.