Moradabad,

21 July (HS): An unexpected power loss during a visit by Uttar Pradesh Energy

Minister AK Sharma here resulted in the suspension of five top energy department

personnel, authorities said. The event occurred on Sunday night at Company Bagh

at the opening of the newly constructed 5D motion cinema. As the minister prepared

to cut the ribbon, the site was plunged into darkness owing to a roughly

10-minute power outage. Disruption at a

high-profile event enraged the minister, forcing him to urge quick disciplinary

action, according to authorities. On his orders, Chief Engineer AK Singhal,

Superintending Engineer Sunil Agarwal, Executive Engineer Prince Gautam, SDO

Rana Pratap, and JE Lalit Kumar were all suspended. PVVNL Managing Director

Isha Duhan was urged to take immediate corrective action and guarantee that

such errors do not occur again.

According

to experts, the blackout was triggered by an electrical overload-related cable

issue. The technical issue was rectified

in 10 minutes. Director (Personnel) Aashu Kalia stated that the action against

the five officers was entirely in conformity with the minister's order.

This

is the second similar occurrence during the minister's function this year. In March, a power failure prompted the

minister to attend a public event in Mau, his birthplace, in the dark. Video

footage of the event circulated on social media, leading disciplinary action

against four power department workers, including the suspension of two. Sharma

had been attending a three-day event commemorating the state's eight-year BJP

rule.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi