Unscheduled power cuts and low voltage during the peak summer season have left residents and farmers in Sirsa and Fatehabad struggling, triggering protests as the electricity crisis continues to disrupt daily life and agriculture.
In Fatehabad, farmers from several villages connected to the Digoh 33 KV power substation blocked the Bhuna-Ratia road on Monday, protesting frequent power cuts and low voltage during the crucial paddy transplantation season. The blockade led to long queues of heavy vehicles on both sides of the road. At the time of filing the report, the farmers had been staging a sit-in under a tent for nearly seven hours, refusing to end the protest.
Power Department SDO Satyawan reached the protest site and heard the farmers’ grievances. He cited technical faults as the reason behind the disrupted supply and assured them that efforts were being made to restore regular power. However, the protesters rejected the assurance and demanded uninterrupted electricity.
The farmers said paddy transplantation and irrigation of kharif crops were being severely affected as tubewells were not functioning properly due to low voltage. They alleged that repeated complaints to the Electricity Department had failed to bring any permanent solution, forcing them to take to the streets.
Meanwhile, in Sirsa, residents of several villages have been facing severe power supply problems for the past three to four days, making life difficult amid intense heat and humidity.
At Kheowali village, the locals alleged that poor-quality equipment installed at the Kheowali power substation was causing repeated technical faults. Former sarpanch Reena Birat claimed that substandard electricity poles were breaking frequently, leading to regular supply disruptions.
Birat said repeated attempts were made to contact the Junior Engineer and the Kalanwali SDO on Monday, but neither responded to phone calls. Although the matter was brought to the notice of the Dabwali XEN, no improvement was seen.
Birat demanded a high-level inquiry into the quality of equipment installed at the substation and sought strict action against officials and contractors if any irregularities were found. She said durable infrastructure and a reliable power supply were essential to prevent villagers from facing recurring electricity crises.
