In a dramatic escalation of public frustration over erratic electricity supply, a Congress legislator in Uttarakhand took matters into his own hands, quite literally. Virendra Jati, the MLA from Jhabreda, on Tuesday morning personally disconnected the power supply at the official residences of senior electricity department engineers in Roorkee. This extreme step was a protest against prolonged and irregular power rostering, particularly during critical morning hours.
The Breaking Point: MLA's Direct Action
The incident unfolded on Tuesday morning when Jati, accompanied by supporters carrying tools including a folding ladder and pliers, arrived at the Civil Lines area. The group targeted the homes of UPCL Superintending Engineer Vivek Rajput, Executive Engineer (Rural) Vinod Pandey, and Anupam Singh of the Power Transmission Corporation of Uttarakhand. Jati and his supporters climbed electricity poles and roofs to physically cut the wires, depriving the officials of the very commodity they were rationing for the public.
Jati later explained his drastic action to the media, highlighting the severe inconvenience caused to his constituents. "Morning hours are critical," he stated. "Children need to go to school, livestock must be given water, and many essential household activities depend on power. The department enforces power cuts between 5 am and 8 am." He claimed that for 15 consecutive days, he had pleaded with officials to alter the rostering schedule, but his appeals fell on deaf ears.
Official Defense and Legal Repercussions
The electricity department officials defended their position, citing unavoidable systemic issues. Executive Engineer (Rural) Vinod Pandey attributed the rostering to a power shortage during the winter season. He explained that power distribution had to be managed according to grid conditions and indicated that the situation was not expected to improve in the immediate future.
However, the MLA's unconventional protest did not go without legal consequences. The police registered an FIR against Virendra Jati and his supporters under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The charges included house trespass, spreading false information, voluntarily obstructing a public servant, damage to public property, and use of criminal force against a public servant. The case was filed by SP (Rural) S C Suyal.
A Warning of Further Action
Unfazed by the legal action, Jati issued a stern warning to the administration. He declared that if the irregular and lengthy morning power cuts did not cease, similar disconnections would be carried out at the homes of all government officials. This threat underscores the deepening rift between public representatives demanding reliable services and utility officials grappling with infrastructural and supply constraints.
The event in Roorkee spotlights the chronic issue of power supply in the region, where rostering—a planned load-shedding schedule—has become a painful daily reality. While officials point to broader shortages, the public's patience is wearing thin, as demonstrated by this unprecedented protest from an elected representative.
