The residents of Bhiwani Rohillan blocked the Hisar-Balsamand-Bhadra road under the banner of the Pagri Sambhal Jatta Kisan Sangharsh Samiti to protest against the failure of the Power Department authorities to provide 24-hour electricity supply even as the village is covered under the ‘Mhara Gaon-Jagmag Gaon’ scheme.
The protesters alleged that despite paying electricity bills, consumers in villages falling under the Bhiwani Rohilla 33 kV substation were receiving only about four hours of power supply daily and were facing prolonged unscheduled power cuts. They alleged that the villages were still being supplied electricity through a 70-year-old transmission line originating from Adampur. A large number of villagers and members of the farmers’ body participated in the protest.
On receiving information about the road blockade, Balsamand police post in-charge Jaibir Singh and Junior Engineer (JE) of the Power Corporation Pawan Kumar reached the spot. The agitation was called off after the officials gave a written assurance that the pending work on the Arya Nagar 133 kV substation would be completed within the next four days, by Thursday.
Anil Gorchi, a state committee member of the Pagri Sambhal Jatta Kisan Sangharsh Samiti, alleged that despite repeated written complaints over the past year, the power officials had failed to resolve the power-related issues and had been offering only assurances. He warned that if uninterrupted 24-hour power supply was not restored by Thursday, villagers would launch an indefinite protest outside the Balsamand electricity office.
Similarly, the residents of Ghrai village in Hansi district also blocked the Hansi-Barwala road in protest against the persistent power crisis in the village.
The protesters alleged that the village had been facing erratic power supply for a long time and that despite repeated complaints, the power department had failed listen to their demand. A villager Satish Boora said while the government claimed to be providing 24-hour electricity in urban areas, villages were receiving only limited power supply, causing hardship to residents as well as farmers.
Later, the Hansi police reached the spot and tried to persuade the villagers to lift the blockade. The villagers warned that if the power supply was not improved soon, they would intensify their agitation.
Police try to pacify protesters in Bhiwani Rohillan village in Hisar district.
