Patna: Angry over a three-day power crisis, hundreds of villagers blocked the Patna-Gaya State Highway at Beldarichak intersection under Gaurichak police station area in Patna on Sunday, disrupting traffic for nearly four hours before the protest ended after electricity supply was restored.The blockade, which began around 9 am, brought traffic on both sides of the highway to a standstill. Long queues of buses, trucks, autos and private vehicles queued up near the Bihta-Sarmera bridge as protesters burnt tyres and raised slogans against the electricity department.Residents claimed that villages under Lakhan Purvi and Barna panchayats had been facing erratic power supply, with electricity remaining unavailable for several hours at a stretch and often going off shortly after being restored.“The crisis has affected children’s studies and routine household work. Many people have not even been able to charge their mobile phones. There has been no certainty about electricity supply during the day or night,” villager Vishwajeet Ram said.Another resident, Raunak Kumar, alleged that repeated attempts to contact the electricity department’s junior engineer had gone unanswered. “Officials cited storms, rain, waterlogging, damaged wires and faulty poles, but power supply remained unreliable for three days,” he said.The prolonged outage also disrupted water supply, as residents were unable to operate electric motors or fill household water tanks.As the agitation intensified, Gaurichak SHO Suman Kumar reached the spot with a police team and attempted to persuade protesters to clear the highway. However, villagers refused to lift the blockade until electricity was restored. A brief scuffle reportedly broke out between police personnel and protesters during the standoff.The protest ended around 1 pm after power supply was restored to the affected areas. Police subsequently cleared the highway and normal traffic movement resumed.An official of the electricity department assured residents of regular power supply and said damaged wires in the area had been repaired.
