Power dept accused of 'selective' checking

ALLAHABAD: At a meeting of Samajwadi Party (SP) minority wing held on Thursday, the speakers criticised the attitude of power department in selectively undertaking a checking drive in minority-dominated localities and harassing consumers in the name of meter reading. Describing it as a conspiracy to harass members of the minority community, district secretary Syed Mohd Askari said that in this connection, a complaint would be lodged with the state chief minister.
Presiding over the meeting, he said that the power department is deliberately undertaking checking in areas where majority of residents are members of the minority community. This has created deep resentment among the residents who are already seething with anger over the pitiable condition of power supply in the areas and dysfunctional transformers, he said.
Another speaker, Syed Faraz Ali said that such selective checking indicates that there are certain elements in the power department who want to defame the Samajwadi Party (SP) government in the state by their actions. Ali said it had come to his knowledge that the power department was conducting a secret survey in areas including Kareli, Karelabagh, Attersuiya, Roshan Bagh, Khuldabad, Kala Danda, Daryabad, Subzi Mandi and Shahgunj to identify areas of power theft. However, the same yardstick was not being adopted in other areas which raises a question mark over the intentions of the department, he said.