Agra to face two-day power blackout

Agra, July 5 : Many parts of this Taj Mahal city will experience a blackout for two days beginning Sunday due to electrical works being done on an expressway, officials said.

Two-thirds of Agra won't have power for the next two days to allow for completion of electrical works on the Yamuna Expressway - that links Agra with Greater Noida adjoining New Delhi.

The Uttar Pradesh government is keen that the project being executed by the Jaypee Cements group is completed well in advance of the 2010 Commonwealth Games to be held in the national capital, said officials of power distribution firm Dakshinanchal Vidhyut Nigam Ltd.

But residents naturally are upset about the power cut. It is like 'torture and inconvenience of an extreme kind', said Padmini, a housewife.

According to her, such projects should be completed during the winter or when the weather is better and not in the summer.

Some of the localities that will be affected include Raja Ki Mandi, Sanjay Place and Kamala Nagar but the Taj Mahal complex and surrounding areas will be left out of the power cut.

Opposition parties blame the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) for ignoring people's interests and convenience.

Environmentalists have already raised doubts about the utility of the project and the acquisition of thousands of fertile land for the mega venture that costs more than Rs.3,000 crore (Rs.30 billion).

The Agra Development Authority has notified its intent to acquire more than 500 acres in Etmadpur block to develop a new township along the expressway. A project to extend the Expressway across the river to the tourist area in Agra has also been finalised - it was earlier to end at Kuberpur at the periphery of the city.