Savadi power darkens Athani

Supporters of disgraced Co-operation Minister Lakshman Savadi on Tuesday forced the Hubli Electricity Supply Company (Hescom) to cut off power in Athani, the minister’s hometown, and the surrounding areas, besides asking television cable operators to black out channels showing Savadi watching a porn clipping in the Legislative Assembly during a session.

Congress workers alleged that the Hescom authorities had violated the electricity load-shedding timings to ensure that the locals don’t get to watch the non-stop news aired by various TV channels on Savadi’s misdeeds in the Legislature Assembly. Power supply was restored later after they took the Hescom officials to task, the Congress workers claimed.

But Savadi’s supporters did not stop at that. They allegedly snapped television cable wires in different areas at Athani even as the power supply resumed. Cable services were restored only by Wednesday afternoon.

They also made all-out efforts to prevent newspapers from reaching Athani Wednesday morning. The minister’s aides held a meeting with newspaper agents Tuesday night and asked them not to distribute newspapers in the town. They even promised them that the loss would be compensated.

A vehicle carrying Deccan Herald and Prajavani newspapers was stopped on the outskirts of Gokak and the driver was instructed to hand over the paper packets to Savadi’s men. When driver Shankarayya Hiremath refused to do so, a 10-man gang surrounded his vehicle and blocked its way. Other newspaper vans, too, faced a similar fate, the sources added.