Massive demonstrations erupted throughout Kerala in the aftermath of extended and unannounced power outages that put the residents in a state of frustration and demanded answers. Enraged consumers organized protests outside offices of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) and some of the protests went on until late in the night.
In Thrissur district, a huge number of residents assembled at the Kundannur division office in Erumapetty at around midnight following prolonged outages. Protesters surrounded the compound and went as far as sleeping in and outside the office to demand that the power be restored immediately and officials clarify the situation. The disturbance extended into the early morning hours of Wednesday despite the officials telling them that the disturbance was as a result of a fault in a major feeder line.
Cases like these were observed in Kozhikode where Youth League activists held demonstrations at the Panniyankara KSEB office. Activists arranged a candlelight protest at Nadapuram substation to raise awareness about the problem. The members of the Youth Congress also demonstrated in front of the Pandikkad KSEB office in Malappuram complaining of frequent outages and failure to give prior notice.
The people in the state have been angry about the lack of prompt communication in case of power outages, which affected everyday life and business. To ensure that such a situation does not occur again in future, protesters have insisted on improved infrastructure management, effective communication, and timely correction of technical faults.