Demand for improved power supply during Ramzan

Kanpur, July 5: Members of the Muslim community here have complained that frequent power cuts during the holy month of Ramzan were creating numerous problems for them in their fasting routine.

Members of the community claimed that although District Magistrate Roshan Jacob had written to state power officials on July 1 requesting a fixed schedule of power cuts in the city, owing especially to the fasting by Muslims, that had not brought about any change in the situation.

Prominent city-based businessman Imran Siddiqui said, "Traders of the city are the main sufferers in this festive month due to undeclared power cuts and regular transformer faults.

"The markets remain powerless during (peak business hours) in the evening. We have to face up to 10-12 hours of power cuts." Siddiqui further said, "(Muslims) face problems in offering prayers and preparing their 'sehri' and 'iftar' meals," he said.

In view of the Islamic holy month of Ramzan, a roster was set for power outages which would have seen the supply being interrupted for four hours daily.

However, locals are claiming that they are facing longer and more frequent outages. Meanwhile, when contacted, power department officials said, "The requirement for electricity is more than the supply. The routine is for four hour of power cuts in the city but, if the frequency of the grid falls, we are bound to stop the supply."

PTI