Patna,(BiharTimes): This is a unique Bihar Model of development. While Gujarat is boasting of non-stop power supply, Nitish Kumar’s Bihar is groping in darkness. If Centre is really responsible for it, as the chief minister repeatedly alleges, than why is it that the Manmohan Singh government so generous towards arch-rival Narendra Modi, at least on this count.

But this is a long debatable issue. At least no state government can blame the Centre for power cut of about 20 hours in a part of Nehru Nagar area  due to minor snag.

A powerful wind on Sunday night disrupted power supply in parts of Patna, including Nehru Nagar in Patliputra Colony. A wire got disconnected.

Well aware of the style of functioning of Bihar State Electricity Board the people rightly thought that the power supply would resumed only the following morning, though they did make complaints to the authorities.

But when by late Monday morning nobody turned up local citizens made complaint ton B Ram, the junior engineer of the area. But their pleas felt on deaf ears, as by late afternoon nobody turned up to connect the wire.
“We were without water in this hot summer when temp. is hovering around 40 degree Celsius .Children couldn’t go to school and most of us took leave  but despite all our efforts and regular follow up with electricity supply officials went in vain” told Rajendra Prasad a local resident.

By late afternoon they approached higher authorities, yet there was no response. Then one of the feeling consumers after finding no way out contacted Resident Editor of Hindustan Times, Mammen Mathew and narrated the hardship of the people of the area who are without electricity for last 20 hours.The latter played a pro-active role and assigned the matter to one reporters, who got conference call with General Manager, Patna Electricity Supply Undertaking (PESU), Vijay Kumar. He assured quick restoration of power.

“I rang up junior engineer B Ram a dozen times, then at 3:00 PM rang up Hareram Pandey, spokesman of BSEB. Then I contacted Hindustan Times, which got conference call with GM, PESU. Yet it was much late on Monday evening that the first electrician from BSEB arrived on the scene to re-connect the wire and re-store power supply,” a harried consumer told BiharTimes.

“We were left without water, power, food etc in this high summer temperature, yet our government never fails to make big claims of development,” The worst part was no one is responsive to public sufferings and complete breakdown of governance at least in providing basic essential services  he further said expressing his anguish,
 
So if this is the condition of Patna’s best colony, one can imagine how horrible the situation is in rest of the state. Should the prime minister of the country be blamed for this? Or will the special category status rectify all the ills plaguing Bihar?