Sirsa MLA pulls up Power Department over midnight outage

Sirsa Congress MLA Gokul Setia is in action over increasing water and electricity issues in the city. Late on Sunday night, he received a complaint about a power cut and immediately tried to contact the Junior Engineer (JE) concerned of the Electricity Department, only to find that the official had diverted his cellphone calls to a lineman.

The incident happened around 12.10 am when a local resident called the MLA, and told him that power had been out since 10.30 am and people were facing a lot of trouble. He also said the JE was not answering his phone calls.

Setia then called the JE’s number himself, but the call was picked up by a lineman. When asked why the JE’s calls were being diverted to him, the lineman hesitated and replied that he didn’t know, maybe the JE was busy or on leave. The lineman said he was doing his duty at the moment.

Setia, clearly angry, appreciated the lineman for working at midnight, but said the situation was unacceptable. “It’s summer, and there has been no electricity in Jhandi Wali Gali near Anupam School since 8 in the morning. The JE is nowhere to be found,” Setia said.

He said sharply, “Tell your JE that his minister, Anil Vij, never diverts his phone calls even at midnight.”

The MLA’s late-night action and tough words reflect growing public frustration over regular power cuts, especially during hot summer days. People in various parts of Sirsa have been complaining about frequent power outages and poor response from officials of the Electricity Department. Setia assured residents that he would continue to raise their concerns and hold officials concerned accountable.

MLA raises voice over waste issue in Sirsa

The Sirsa Municipal Council (MC) has issued a warning letter to a private company for not collecting garbage on time from a dumping site inside the city limits. The company, Pooja Waste Management Private Limited, is responsible for door-to-door collection, segregation and disposal of waste. The action came after local MLA Gokul Setia raised his voice over the growing filth and foul smell in the area due to unattended waste.

His intervention prompted the MC to take serious note of the matter. On Sunday, April 13, it was found that garbage from a particular site was not lifted up as per schedule, and no cleaning was done, which led to discomfort and unhygienic conditions in the area. Following the MLA’s concern, the MC instructed the company to clean the site immediately and ensure that such delays did not happen again. The council also reminded the company that as per Annexure 32 (Penalty Clause), a fine could be imposed for any violations, and further action might follow.