Cuttack: More than 547 shops at the Urban Haat in Chhatra Bazaar, one of Odisha’s largest vegetable wholesale markets, have been reeling under darkness for the last three days due to a prolonged power outage. Traders have been forced to use mobile phone flashlights and rechargeable lamps to continue business, while accusing authorities of neglecting the plight of hundreds of vendors.The power disruption has severely affected trading activities in the market, a key hub for vegetable and agricultural produce catering to Cuttack and several other districts.With no lighting or fans, vendors said they are enduring unbearable conditions amid rising temperatures and declining customer footfall. Several traders were seen using mobile phone lights to weigh vegetables, handle transactions and navigate through the market after dusk.“We are running our shops with mobile phone torches like it is the Stone Age. For three days, nobody from the authorities has bothered to solve the problem. They collect taxes and fees from us regularly but disappear when we need basic facilities,” said Ramesh Sahu, a vendor.Another trader, Prabhat Behera, said, “We are suffering losses every day.”The crisis began after the transformer supplying electricity to the Urban Haat reportedly became defunct three days ago.Despite repeated complaints by traders, the faulty transformer has not been repaired or replaced, leaving the entire market complex without power.Cuttack mayor Subhash Singh said, “Officials have been instructed to address the problem on priority. Necessary steps are being taken to restore electricity supply within 24 hours and ensure normal functioning of the market.”
