Residents Protest Night Power Cuts in Araria; Police Intervene, Supply Restored

Araria: Frustrated by frequent and unannounced power cuts, residents of Araria staged a late-night protest at the local Shakti Kendra around 2 AM, demanding uninterrupted electricity supply amid the ongoing summer heat.

Protesters, including men, women, and senior citizens, alleged that the electricity department has been cutting power for 5–6 hours daily without prior notice. They expressed anger over the non-functional helpline numbers, saying there was no way to report grievances. Residents said the erratic supply has severely impacted children, elderly citizens, and patients, especially during the hot and humid nights.

In a bold move, the protesters disrupted power supply to all areas in protest, escalating tensions. The situation prompted a swift response from the police, with four vehicles from the city police station reaching the spot. Officers managed to calm the agitated crowd and engaged with electricity department officials. Power was subsequently restored, and normalcy returned.

A local resident, Ramesh Kumar, said, “Power cuts during the summer nights are unbearable. How can children and elderly people sleep in this heat?” Another consumer echoed the sentiment, stating that the lack of electricity at night causes distress and affects health.

Technical Fault and Overload Blamed

An official from the electricity department attributed the disruptions to technical faults and overloads in the system. “Our teams are working on fixing the issues. Power was restored after temporary disruption, and we are trying to prevent further outages,” the official said.

Despite the restoration, the public remains dissatisfied, citing repeated outages and poor communication from the department. The incident reflects growing frustration across small towns in Bihar over inadequate power infrastructure, especially during extreme weather conditions.