Anisabad residents irked over frequent power cuts

Patna: With the temperature soaring above 40°C, residents of Mitra Mandal Colony and Kalyani Nagar at Saket Vihar in the Anisabad area are grappling with frequent power cuts. A power outage of three to four hours daily has caused immense hardship for people, particularly senior citizens, and those with health issues.

"The power goes out without any prior notice, often during the peak heat hours of the day. Our inverters give up after a while and there is no way to keep cool. The elderly and ailing are the worst affected," said the aggrieved residents Ramesh Prasad and Paras Nath of Mitra Mandal Colony.

Bihar State Power Holding Company Ltd (BSPHCL) Gardanibagh office assistant engineer, who did not wish to be quoted, has attributed the outages to ongoing maintenance work. But the residents questioned the timing and lack of communication. "Why should the power department carry out maintenance work during the hottest hours of the day," asked a retired banker, A N Sinha.

In the absence of reliable power, basic daily activities were becoming a challenge. Many households reported spoiled food, disrupted work from home routine and disturbed sleep. Sinha further said several residents were even considering temporary relocation to escape the oppressive heat and power woes at Anisabad area.

A local representative of Phulwari Nagar Parishad Kamlesh Kumar took note of the issue and assured the residents to raise the matter with the electricity board. However, until concrete action is taken, the people of Mitra Mandal Colony are left to endure the blazing heat without respite, another resident said.