AMBALA, July 13: Agitated residents from several villages in the Naggal police station blocked the Ambala-Hissar road for about three hours, against the alleged snapping of power and drinking water supply, following the ``beating up'' of HSEB employees at Chaur Mastpur Power Station, five days ago.The power line feeding more than a dozen villages had allegedly been snapped so that electricity did not reach these villages, with a view to teach them a lesson.More than 40 persons who had indulged in beating the employees, damaging the power house and ransacking the office of SDO, power, were arrested and are in judicial custody.A large number of agitators, led by the Haryana Lok Dal (Rashtriya) District Youth president Jasbir Malaur and Ambala City unit leader, Sat Pal Wig, did not allow vehicular traffic to move at the Matheri Sekhan Chowk, 20 km from here, after they blocked the Ambala-Hissar highway at 10 am.They were demanding immediate restoration of electricity and drinking water supply, withdrawal of ``fake'' cases framed against party supporters at the ``instance'' of the local legislator, Nirmal Singh. They demanded that the real culprits who were responsible for the Chaur Mastpur incident should be arrested. The agitators raised slogans against the government and the local legislator.The blockade, however, was lifted at around 1 pm on the intervention of Deputy Commissioner Navraj Sandhu, who invited the leaders for a dialogue at her office and assured them that all reasonable demands would be accepted.Meanwhile, people agitated over the death of a boy, who was run over by a speeding truck near Dosarka, blocked the Ambala-Jagadhri-Sadhaura road for over two hours early in the morning. The truck crew after crushing the boy had beaten up the brother of the deceased. The agitators were demanding the arrest of the bus crew from the SDM Ambala and DSP, Naraingarh who had reached the spot. They lifted the blockade on an assurance from the officers.
