Rajasthan minister holds protest over electricity issue, officer shunted out

Rajasthan minister Ashok Chandna sat on a dharna outside the Bundi district collectorate here on Friday alleging a dissatisfactory response by discom officials on farmers' concerns about a shortage of transformers.

The minister of youth affairs, skill development and public relations ended his 2.5-hour protest after he received a call from Power Minister Bhanwar Singh Bhati, and discom superintendent engineer J P Bairwa was shunted out.

Before staging the protest, Chandna reached the Bundi district collectorate with his supporters.

Chandna got irked after Bairwa said in his status report that 426 transformers were supplied against the demand of 518 in the minister's Hindoli-Nainwan area.

He sat in protest outside the office on the Kota road along with Bundi district Congress president CL Premi, PCC secretary Sandeep Purohit and his supporters. He demanded all the transformers needed be provided and the official punished. He ended his protest after around 2.5 hours following a call from Power Minister Bhanwar Singh Bhati and after the discom superintendent engineer was placed under APO.

Chandana alleged a gross mismanagement by discom officials, claiming that 360 DPs were found lying in store and other 60 were sent to other districts even though the Hindoli-Nainwan area reeled under a shortage.

After action was initiated in the matter, Chandana thanked Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and the power minister. On Monday, he had gheraoed the collectorate office and set a deadline for meeting the full demand of transformers and addressing other concerns of farmers in his area by September 8.