Residents of Manu Ghat under Longtharai Valley Subdivision staged a protest on Friday over prolonged power outages, poor electricity services, and alleged irregularities in the functioning of the power department. The agitating residents blocked the National Highway, leading to massive traffic congestion and causing severe inconvenience to commuters stranded for hours.

The protesters alleged that the area has been suffering from substandard power supply and frequent electricity disruptions for a long time. They claimed that despite repeatedly bringing the issues to the attention of the electricity department, no effective or permanent measures have been taken to resolve the problems.

During the demonstration, the protesters demanded immediate improvement in electricity services and also called for the resignation of the State Power Minister, holding the department responsible for the continued hardship faced by the public.

The agitating residents warned that if their demands are not addressed without delay, they would intensify their movement in the coming days with larger protests.

Following information about the highway blockade, police and civil administration officials rushed to the spot and initiated talks with the protesters in an effort to restore normalcy. However, as of the filing of this report, the blockade was continuing, and vehicular movement on the National Highway remained partially disrupted.