Lovetch Residents Stage Second Protest Amid Persistent Power Crisis, Ruining Festive Season
Residents of Lovetch, a city in Bulgaria, have once again taken to the streets to protest the ongoing power crisis that has left hundreds of families without electricity for days, ruining their festive seasons. The protest happened in front of the local electricity distribution company’s office, with Mito Stoev from BNT reporting the incident.
The power outages began a week ago, lasting between four to six days in some cases. The heavy snowfall caused damage to electrical lines, leaving many in the dark and cold. The crisis has been so severe that Lovetch’s mayor has filed complaints with the Ombudsman, the Minister of Energy, and the local electricity company. A collective lawsuit is also being prepared due to the extended power outages in the region.
Earlier this month, frustrated residents had blocked a section of the Sofia-Varna highway at the Abidzhtitsa intersection. Today, they gathered at the "Electrohald" office in Lovetch. The protests come after weeks of disruptive power problems in the area.
"$100 million for the World Cup, and we’re left without power… Sometimes I wonder if we’re the third world. Let them go and play football somewhere else, and get us electricity," vented Krasimir Pavlikyanov from Dontrav village.
Mayor Strachimir Petkov acknowledged the difficulties, stating, "The municipality has supported the inhabitants in their complaints to ‘Electrohold’, which cover general conditions as well as compensation for damaged electrical appliances."
However, residents are skeptical about receiving any compensation. Meanwhile, power supply has been restored to all settlements in the Lovetch Region. In other news, the price of water in the region has been adjusted, with Lovetch seeing a reduction of 0.04 BGN per cubic meter, bringing the price down to 4.85 BGN. Unfortunately, residents of Pleven will face an increase, with prices rising to 4.91 BGN from the previous 4.46 BGN.
