To show empathy, Gandhi to switch off Raj Bhavan power, CPM ridicules him

The residents of Kolkata, reeling under severe power cuts, will now get some cold comfort: Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi...

The residents of Kolkata, reeling under severe power cuts, will now get some cold comfort: Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi has announced that he will suffer a two-hour “voluntary power” cut at Raj Bhavan starting Wednesday.

A statement issued by the press secretary to the Governor said: “Raj Bhavan will observe a voluntary 2-hour power cut beginning from tomorrow the 7th May. This decision follows the Governor’s view that Raj Bhavan need not be an exception to the city’s electricity supply situation. The decision will be reviewed as and when necessary.”

According to Raj Bhavan officials, no time has been fixed but it will most probably be sometime in the evening, considered to be the peak hour when demand surges. Between 6 pm to 11 pm, demand for power in the city stands at 1500 MW-1700 MW and the shortfall stands, on an average, at 500 MW.

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Shyamal Chakrabarti, CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member and CITU state president who once urged the Governor to join the Trinamool Congress for his open criticism of the state government on the Nandigram issue, today reacted sarcastically to the Governor’s decision.

“It is a pioneering decision,” he said. “But he should show the way in other ways as well. There has been a huge price hike. Why doesn’t the Governor eat once a day? He can also ask his staff to have one square meal. There is a huge oil crisis. So while going to inaugurate a function, he should at least walk 10 miles to save on oil. Raj Bhavan has huge space. Why doesn’t he allow slum children to stay there?”