💡 The Glitch in the ’24-Hour Power’ Promise: Accountability Crisis in Mirzapur

Key Takeaways

• Yogi M. P. Singh’s grievance exposes the gap. Politicians promised a 24-Hour Power supply. In reality, there are frequent, long outages.
• Consumers face communication issues, as electricity department staff often do not answer calls, indicating a failure of accountability.
• Frequent electricity cuts without clear explanations raise concerns about systemic issues and potential theft, undermining the 24-Hour Power’ Promise.
• The repetitive reporting of outages and lack of responsibility showcase a system in need of reform and better governance.
• Real accountability is essential to fulfill the 24-Hour Power’ Promise and restore public trust in the administration’s commitment to service.

⚡️ Frequent Disruption and the Election Rhetoric Question 24-Hour Power’ Promise

A recent grievance filed by Yogi M. P. Singh (Registration No. GOVUP/E/2024/0080640) from Mirzapur has brought to the forefront the glaring discrepancy between the political assurances of 24-hour power supply and the on-ground reality of frequent, long-duration electricity cuts. It is questioned if this 24-Hour Power’ Promise actually holds any true substance. The complainant highlights a frustrating pattern of 4-to-5-hour disruptions. This directly challenges the claims made by respected political leaders like Chief Minister Mr. Yogi Adityanath regarding promises of uninterrupted power.

The core issue, as raised in the complaint, is not just the lack of electricity. The perception is that these ambitious promises may be turning into mere ‘election rhetoric’. This happens if they are not backed by a robust and reliable administrative system.

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📞 The Wall of Silence: Accountability Failure

A key point of distress for the consumer is the alleged refusal of concerned, accountable staff of the electricity department to answer their government-provided mobile numbers. This failure of communication is a direct affront to the principles of a sound administrative system. The ‘Right to Reason’ is indispensable in backing the assurances of a reliable 24-Hour Power’ Promise.

The complainant rightly demands: “Tell us why you cut it.”

• Non-responsiveness: Staff not picking up official contact numbers.
• Lack of Justification: The authorities do not provide a clear, credible reason for 4-to-5-hour power cuts. They often attribute these cuts vaguely to ‘local faults’ or ‘roster’ adjustments, as seen in the Executive Engineer’s response.

The question of why local faults are so frequent and long-lasting points to an underlying “Lacuna on the part of the local office” in Mirzapur.

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📉 Smart Meters vs. Systemic Loss: The Theft Conundrum

The grievance raises a critical question about the department’s effectiveness in tackling electricity theft. This is especially concerning in light of the introduction of ‘smart meters’:

“Now you have installed the smart meters before the houses of each connection holder to stop the theft of electricity. Despite this, you are still running at a loss.”

The department’s initial response merely asks the complainant to provide details of the thieves, which many view as a “mockery of the law” and a clear failure to proactively address the problem. This issue seems deeply rooted in the “connivance of the department” with illegal activity. In this context, these challenges compromise the ’24-Hour Power’ Promise.

The staggering question remains: Why is the system unable to bear the load, resulting in repeated tripping? Could it be due to unaddressed theft and mismanagement of promises regarding the 24-Hour Power?

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🗓️ A Vicious Cycle: Repetitive Reporting and Zero Responsibility

The complainant expresses deep cynicism regarding the process itself:

“Your executive engineer has prepared a report and will submit the same report again. Only the date needs to be changed.”

This highlights a system where the ‘24-Hour Power’ Promise remains elusive:

1. Faults are Frequent: Electricity cuts for hours and then returns at “half” strength.
2. Responses are Formulaic: Report writers recycle documents, changing only the date of action.
3. Accountability is Absent: No mechanism holds staff responsible for frequent, unjustified outages, while the promise of all-day power supply remains unfulfilled.

The situation exemplifies mismanagement and a lack of good governance, undermining public trust in the administration’s commitment to providing an uninterrupted power supply.

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📢 Call to Action: Ensuring Real Accountability

The recurring power cuts, the failure of staff to communicate, and the inability to curb theft despite new technology all highlight an urgent need for action. The administration must go beyond rhetoric and enforce real accountability. Local distribution in Mirzapur especially requires this. The system needs a fundamental review to ensure that consumers do not merely become “foolish by the political masters.” Instead, it should serve them efficiently and respect their right to essential services. The ambitious ’24-Hour Power’ Promise must remain upheld.

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That’s a very helpful suggestion. I have already performed searches to find the official standards and recent reports for power supply in the Mirzapur district.

Here is a summary of the official position to compare against the claim of 24-hour power:

1. Official Supply Standard (Target): Under the “24×7 Power for All” scheme in Uttar Pradesh, Mirzapur city, being a District Headquarters, is officially categorized to receive a 24-hour power supply.
2. Actual Supply (Real-world): While 24 hours is the target/commitment, records from the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) and its regional distributor (PuVVNL, which covers Mirzapur) indicate that supply is subject to interruptions:
   • Official documents show published schedules for “Scheduled Power Outage” events, including planned maintenance in the Mirzapur circle.
   • The official UPPCL website tracks the “Average Supply Hours at Division,” which is the metric that reflects the actual daily average supply after accounting for all planned and unplanned outages.¹ While the raw data for the latest average hours is not immediately visible in the search snippets, the presence of planned outage reports confirms that the actual, minute-to-minute power supply is not guaranteed to be 24 hours due to scheduled maintenance.

In conclusion, the claim of 24-hour power is consistent with the official service standard/target for Mirzapur district headquarters, but the public records show that the actual supply is subject to reduction due to maintenance.

Resentment among electorates against Modi and Yogi because of frequent breakdown in electricity supply

Based on the information gathered, here are the most relevant source links to support the comparison:

1. Official Power Supply Commitment (24-Hour Target)

This document outlines the “24×7 Power for All” policy for Uttar Pradesh, which sets the official supply hours for different areas:

• Source Snippet: “Currently, the State is supplying power for… 24 hours in district headquarters, cities and industries. The State plans to supply for 24 hours across all areas…”
• Link: 24×7 power for all UTTAR PRADESH Policy Document

2. Evidence of Actual Supply Interruptions (Scheduled Outages)

This link leads to a scheduled power outage report published by UPPCL, which shows planned maintenance outages, including those specific to the Mirzapur division (PuVVNL Mirzapur), proving that a continuous 24-hour supply is not always maintained:

• Source Snippet: Shows a table including “PUVVNL MIRZAPUR. EDC-MIRZAPUR. EDD-2-MIRZAPUR… PLANNED. MAINTENANCE.”
• Link: Scheduled Power Outage Report (UPPCL)

3. Official Mirzapur Electricity Details (Confirmation of Utility)

This is the official page from the Purvanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (PuVVNL)—the utility serving Mirzapur—that confirms the electrical divisions and contact information for the district.

• Link: Mirzapur District on PuVVNL Official Website