Ranchi, April 17 The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday staged protests across Jharkhand, including in Ranchi, against the poor power supply situation and the recent hike in electricity tariffs in the state.
Following the party’s call, BJP workers held demonstrations and sit-ins outside the offices of Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (JBVNL) at district headquarters, raising slogans against the state government.
In the state capital Ranchi, a large number of party workers gathered outside the JBVNL General Manager’s office in Kusai Colony, Doranda. The protest was led by Ranchi MLA C.P. Singh and Hatia MLA and party Chief Whip Navin Jaiswal.
During the gathering held at the protest site, speakers highlighted issues such as frequent power cuts and alleged irregular billing after the installation of smart meters.
Addressing the protesters, MLA C.P. Singh said that amid the scorching heat in the capital Ranchi, common consumers are facing prolonged power outages, while alternative arrangements are being ensured for influential sections. He added that the issue had also been raised in the Assembly, but instead of improvement, electricity tariffs were increased.
Hatia MLA, Navin Jaiswal, said that consumers in both urban and rural areas are distressed. He alleged that after replacing old meters with smart meters, electricity bills have increased uncontrollably. According to him, despite repeated complaints, no corrective action has been taken, and consumers are facing disconnections in the name of pending dues.
He warned that if the demands are not addressed, the party will intensify its agitation in the coming days.
On the instructions of state president Aditya Sahu, BJP workers also staged protests in other districts under the leadership of local leaders, including Neelkanth Singh Munda and Sunita Singh in Khunti, Sudarshan Bhagat and Dinesh Oraon in Gumla, Praveen Singh in Lohardaga, Purnima Das in Jamshedpur, Alok Chaurasia in Palamu, Satyendra Tiwari in Garhwa, Dr Neera Yadav in Koderma, Raj Sinha in Dhanbad, Dilip Verma in Bokaro, Randhir Singh in Jamtara, Narayan Das in Deoghar, Amit Mandal in Godda, Sunil Soren in Dumka, and Amrit Pandey in Pakur.
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