Angry over frequent unscheduled power cuts, a large number of residents staged a three-hour protest outside the Electricity Department’s Subdivisional Officer’s (SDO) office in Bhuna town of Fatehabad district on Friday. The protesters warned that they would launch a major agitation from Monday (July 20) if the power supply did not improve within the next two days.

The protest ended after acting SDO Vicky Kashyap reached the spot, spoke to the demonstrators and assured them that immediate steps would be taken to restore normal electricity supply. He also reassigned the work of Junior Engineer Kuldeep Singh and handed over charge of the Bhuna area to foreman Laxman Sharma with immediate effect.

The residents alleged that the town feeder had been connected to Adani Silo, several industries and nearby rural areas, putting excessive load on the system and causing repeated power outages in the town. They claimed that linking industries and rural areas to the urban feeder was against norms and demanded a fair vigilance inquiry into the matter.

The protesters also accused Electricity Department officials of ignoring consumer complaints and not answering official mobile phones. They said a prolonged blackout on Thursday night had left residents frustrated, forcing them to gherao the SDO office on Friday.

Several local leaders and residents, including vice-chairman Narendra Bagri, councillor Rohtas Goyal, Ajay Tayal, Bajrang Sharma, Rohtas Jangra, INLD leader Balwinder Singh Kairon and members of the Aggarwal Sabha, joined the protest.

Kashyap assured the residents that the town’s electricity supply would soon improve. He said the process had been initiated to shift Bhuna’s power supply from the Khasa Pathana line to the 220-kV Synthla substation, which was expected to ensure a more reliable supply.