BERHAMPUR: The villagers of Lathi panchayat on the outskirts of the city have decided not to pay their electricity bills till the problem of low voltage and regular power cuts is addressed.

At a meeting of representatives of the villages of the panchayat under the chairmanship of its sarpanch, Rankanidhi Panda, held at Radhakrushna library at Lathi on Thursday, the villagers decided to gherao the staff of power distribution company, Southco, when they came for collecting electricity dues.

12 villages hit

As per the villagers around 12 villages of the panchayat have been suffering from regular undeclared power cut and extreme low voltage for past few months. Despite several complaints and requests the problem has not been solved.

A 33 KV substation was inaugurated near Lathi recently. According to Chadradhwaja Sahu, an inhabitant of the Lathi village this substation has not helped in alleviating the power problem in this panchayat. It is alleged that the office of the Southco opened near the substation remains locked up and no employee has been appointed for that office to hear the complaints of villagers. This office has been locked since the day the substation was inaugurated.

Having no other way the villagers decided to get united to vent their anger against the erratic power supply to their area through non-payment of their electricity dues. They said, "Why should we pay the electricity bills when we are not getting proper electricity supply during the summer months when we need it the most?"

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