THEBUSINESSBYTES
BUREAU
BHUBANESWAR,
MAY 22, 2026
Amid mounting public
outrage over prolonged and unannounced power cuts during the scorching summer,
Odisha Deputy Chief Minister and Energy Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo on Friday
attributed the widespread outages across the state to unprecedented electricity
demand triggered by the ongoing heatwave.
Addressing growing
complaints from consumers in several districts, Singh Deo said the extreme
weather conditions had pushed the power infrastructure under severe stress.
“The kind of heatwave we are currently experiencing is beyond anyone’s control.
During peak heat hours, electricity demand rises sharply as more and more air
conditioners are being used. As a result, overloading occurs, and transformers
burn out,” he said.
The Energy Minister
assured citizens that the government and power distribution companies were
making every effort to restore electricity supply at the earliest. “We are
making arrangements to restore power as fast as possible. We are trying our
best to ensure an uninterrupted power supply to consumers,” he added.
For the past several
days, people across many parts of Odisha have been grappling with prolonged
outages amid soaring temperatures, triggering anger and frustration among
consumers. In several areas, people staged protests alleging that repeated
complaints to distribution companies went unanswered and that the outages
continued without prior notice.
The recurring
disruptions have also put the spotlight on the state government’s promise of
uninterrupted power supply during summer. Recently, Chief Minister Mohan Charan
Majhi had warned power distribution companies of strict action against
unannounced cuts and directed them to ensure round-the-clock supply during the
heatwave.
However, despite the
Chief Minister’s directive, power disruptions continue to affect normal life,
prompting criticism from consumers who claim that power companies have failed
to comply with government instructions.
