New Delhi: Soraha residents in Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun district are in the dark and ‘powerless’, thanks to theft of local electricity transformer. It was on December 14 that some miscreants stole all the essential components from the transformer, leaving the area without power supply.
The theft came to light after some villagers saw a 250kVA transformer missing and reported about it to the local authorities. Later, it was discovered that all valuable components, including copper wires, oil, and other metal parts, had been stolen, and the transformer was abandoned in a nearby field, as per a report by the Times of India.
The incident comes while a cold wave and dense fog is sweeping across several northern Indian states. The power outage has hugely caused disruptions in the studies of children in the village, mostly those preparing for the state board exams scheduled for next month.
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Village head Satpal Singh told TOI that without electricity, inverters and mobile phones are futile, and submersible pumps are non-operational.
‘Sought additional patrolling from police’
An executive engineer from the electricity department pointed out that an alternative power supply had been arranged from a village close by as a temporary measure. “Most thefts occur during winters. We have sought additional patrolling from the police,” remarked engineer Narendra Chaudhary.
But, villagers contested his claim, and alleged that local government officials were indifferent to their problem as they appealed for a quick resolution to the issue.
An FIR against unknown persons has been registered by the local police. Initial investigations, which included tracking mobile phone calls and reviewing CCTV footage, have provided the police with some leads. An official also suggested that the theft of a live wire indicates the possible involvement of someone who is familiar with the system.
