Despite the massive funds being pumped into the state by the Centre, power department employees said they didn’t have any equipment or spare parts to repair the decades-old transformers and faulty lines.
Dimapur has been worst hit by the crisis; people there have been without power for the entire summer.
Several villages under the VK sub-divisions have been without power for over a month. Even the hometown of the power minister, Atoizu, has been in the dark since January, thanks to a damaged transformer. The residents of the VK area served a two-day ultimatum to the state government today for restoring power to the area, otherwise they will launch an indefinite blockade of NH 2 that passes through Kohima, Wokha, Zunheboto and Moko-kchung districts to Amguri in Assam.
VK Range Students’ Union, public leaders and elders of the sub-division served the ultimatum.
The Chumukedima Town Youth Organisation will hold a protest rally in the town tomorrow and lock the power department office. All shops and business establishments will remain closed from 6am to 12pm.
The Chumukedima Timber Association has also asked the power department to solve the crisis and warned that they would launch an agitation as the timber industry has been badly affected.
The Dimapur Chamber of Commerce and Industry and medicine dealers have also protested as perishable food items and life-saving medicines cannot be preserved owing to erratic power supply.
Retired chief engineer of power, I. Lanu Toy, said so far, Nagaland has been unable to develop any major power projects.