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Power-starved UP residents block NH

Lucknow: Angry residents on Friday blocked the National Highway in Bijnor, burnt down a transformer in Gorakhpur and held protests in several towns across Uttar Pradesh as they faced prolonged outages in the sweltering heat.

Two persons were arrested and FIRs lodged against 250 people in Dhampur town of Bijnor district when they blockaded NH-58 and refused to let an army convoy pass through, a senior police official said.

He said police used “mild force” and swung batons to disperse the protesters.

A report from Gorakhpur said agitated residents, some only clad in underwear, clashed with police and burnt down a transformer on Thursday night with the town going without electricity for over 24 hours.

City Superintendent of Police D. K .Chaudhary said a BJP shutdown was organised on Friday in which the power crisis issue was raised, but denied reports of the clash.

Additional Director-General of Police (law and order) Brij Lal, however, admitted that a transformer was burnt down in Gorakhpur and the roadblock in Dhampur.

He said the situation was “now under control” and there was no major law and order problem anywhere.

Agitated electricity consumers held similar protests and sit-ins in towns like Badayun, Barabanki and Hardoi, UPCC officials said. Power Minister Ram Veer Upadhayay said the power projects lined up would take at least two years for completion.

“Before 2010, it is not possible for the state to become self-reliant”, he said. Most districts barring Noida, Agra and Lucknow have been going without electricity for 8 to 16 hours due to load-shedding and blackouts even as Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation has hiked power rates with effect from April 27. PTI

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