One week after Cyclone Fani ravaged the state of Odisha, residents still don't have power and constant supply of food and water.
Over two lakh people, reportedly, do not have a power supply in the state while the climate made a dramatic U-turn from a cyclone to an intense heat wave currently wreaking havoc. To make matters worse, along with power, there is also no steady supply of water to combat the scorching heat.
The lack of basic facilities brought many angry citizens of Odisha to the street protesting and demanding the restoration of electricity which was hit badly after 1.56 lakh electric poles were uprooted during the storm.
The protesters had blocked a road near Garage Chhak in Bhubaneshwar and other parts of the state.
"We were scared as angry demonstrators threatened and tried to attack us. We have sought protection from the police," said N K Sahu, Central Electricity Supply Utility (CESU) was quoted as saying by PTI.
"We have prepared a roadmap for electrification. With additional manpower from other states available, restoration work is picking up," A P Padhi said, adding that power supply was restored to around 50 per cent of electricity consumers.
In addition to this, the Sanjay Singh, Information and Public Relations secretary is confident that 100 per cent power supply will be restored by Sunday, May 12 across the state. However, this is a bit doubtful since the restoration work in Puri will begin on that day and it is unsure when it will be completed. Puri was the worst hit by Cyclone Fani when it made landfall in the coastal city last week.
Cyclone Fani, which hit Odisha last week, killed 48 people, damaged 5.08 lakh houses and destroyed 34.56 lakh livestock. The State Level Banker's Committee has decided to reschedule the payment of loans in order to provide some sort of relief to the affected people.
