By Nityanand Sharma, IANS
Ranchi : Power cuts for 10 to 12 hours every day for the past three months have made life difficult for factory owners and residents in the Jharkhand capital. But diesel sellers are not complaining.
Due to heavy power cuts, businesses, hospitals, hotels, restaurants and apartments have been depending on diesel-run generators. In Ranchi alone, more than 230,000 litres of diesel is now sold every day due to power cuts, trade sources say.
“Due to heavy power cuts, the sale of diesel has tripled in the state,” said Rajan, an employee of the Tewary Petrol Pump.
There are around 600 small and 30 medium scale industries, 30 hospitals, 60 hotels, more than 4,000 shops, 250 government and private offices, and 5,000 residential houses and apartments in the capital city.
“It is indeed becoming difficult to run industries due to heavy power cuts. As a result, more than 40 percent of the small and medium industries are on the verge of closure,” said Manoj Naredi, president of the Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The governments’ effort to ensure regular supply of power is not making any impact. The government removed V.N. Pandey, chairperson of the Jharkhand State Electricity Board (JSEB) in the last week of December due to the poor power scenario.
“Ranchi alone needs 120 MW of power every day. And we are getting only 40 MW from the central pool. The state-owned thermal power units are out of order,” said a JSEB official.
The sound of generators also is forcing residents to speak loudly.
“We find it difficult to talk to each other at shops and roundabouts in Ranchi due to the loud sound of generators. If the power scenario remains like this, then a large number of Ranchi residents will become hard of hearing,” said Vinod Kumar Singh, a resident of Ashok Nagar in Ranchi.
The worst hit are schoolchildren. The pre-board examinations of senior secondary and higher secondary boards will begin Jan 15, and the board examinations will begin March 1.
“The frequent power cuts are affecting our studies. I have an eye problem and I find it difficult to study in candlelight,” said Amrit Pandey, a Class 12 student who will take the higher secondary board exam.