Power cuts the order of the day

MALDA, Oct 30: After the end of the puja the electricity board has started frequent power cuts following directions from their authorities. The division engineer Mr AK Ghosh said: “We have to follow the instruction of the higher officials.” He said that during the puja, the department had tried hard to supply power without any interruption, but now instructions for power cuts have been given to them. Yesterday from 1.45 pm to 2.45 pm, 4.45 pm to 5.45 pm and again 8.20 pm to 9.20 pm, the department cut down the power supply for three hours in English Bazaar town. It may be noted that before the puja, the Malda traders’ body had started a movement and threatened to boycott electricity bills from 1 Oct. They had also proposed that the department could make up the crisis through power cuts during the day from 11 am to 5 pm, but not between 5 pm to 11 pm at night. “We would watch the trend of load shedding for a few more days. If power cuts continue, we would boycott electricity bills”, said the district secretary of Malda merchants’ chamber of commerce. The body had also raised the question of security of the traders and the local people in the market places, after the murder of a woman and her daughter and attacks on a jeweller in English Bazaar town during power cut. n SNS