LUCKNOW, May 22 -- Lucknow witnessed another day of public anger over prolonged electricity outages on Thursday as protests, road blockades and confrontations erupted from morning till late night across multiple areas. With transformers failing, underground cables burning and repeated feeder tripping reported from Nadarganj to Chinhat, the growing crisis has become a major challenge for the Lucknow Electricity Supply Administration (LESA) during the ongoing heatwave. The first major protest of the day began around 8am at Buddheshwar crossing on Mohaan Road, where residents of Janata Vihar, Badalkhera, and adjoining colonies blocked traffic, alleging that they were receiving barely two hours of power supply in the last 24 hours. People gathered on the road shouting slogans against the electricity department. Vehicles heading towards Agra Expressway had to be diverted through Tikunia Road. Residents said continuous outages had also disrupted water supply, leaving many households without drinking water. Residents of Para also joined protests against power cuts in their area. Barely half an hour later, around 8:30am, another protest broke out near the Utrethia underpass on Rae Bareli Road. Residents of Baldev Vihar, Mavaiya, Devikhera and nearby areas blocked traffic with police barricades, accusing the department of failing to repair damaged transformers, burnt underground cables and overloaded feeders linked to the Utrethia substation. Traffic remained disrupted till nearly 9:30am as cops attempted to clear the blockade. Eyewitnesses said heated arguments and pushing took place between protesters and police before the road was finally reopened. Residents alleged that localities including Telibagh, Ekta Nagar, Kalli, Jagatkhera and Utrethia have been facing repeated outages for several days. "Every day, either a transformer breaks down or a cable burns. Complaints are registered, but no permanent solution is being provided," protesters alleged. The unrest was a continuation of overnight protests that began late Wednesday and stretched into Thursday morning. Around 11.30pm on Wednesday, electricity supply to nearly 1,500 homes in Moazzam Nagar and adjoining areas was disrupted after an underground cable fault. According to officials, supply was temporarily diverted through another feeder from Noorbari New substation while repair work continued. However, when power could not be restored even by 1am (Thursday), angry residents gathered outside Noorbari and Uptron substations. Protesters blocked roads near Tikait Rai Talab Colony and surrounded the substations, accusing the department of negligence. Power employees alleged that nearly 100 to 150 people entered the premises shouting slogans and attempting to confront staff members. Officials claimed that when gates were locked from inside, some protesters resorted to stone pelting. Police later used mild force to disperse the crowd. Supply in the affected area was reportedly restored around 4am on Thursday. Another late-night protest took place around 12:30am on Thursday at Faizullaganj Power House, where residents accused the department of leaving several colonies without electricity for nearly 10 hours. Protesters raised slogans outside the power house demanding immediate restoration. By Thursday afternoon, complaints of outages continued to emerge from Motijheel Colony, where residents struggled through intense heat. In one scene reflecting the severity of the crisis, a resident was seen teaching children with a hand fan outside her home due to continuous outages. The infrastructure stress was visible across all four operational zones of LESA. In several areas, transformers reportedly failed repeatedly due to overload, while underground cable faults and feeder tripping disrupted supply restoration efforts. In Krishna Lok Colony Phase-1, residents claimed supply had remained disrupted since 11pm on May 20, leaving thousands without electricity and water through the night and into Thursday. Additional safety concerns surfaced after an overhead ABC line caught fire in Ashish Nagar on Kursi Road. Residents alleged that heavy bundles of telecom and cable network wires tied to electricity poles intensified the blaze. Locals said the fire spread rapidly outside a house, briefly trapping family members inside before neighbours helped them escape. The electricity crisis also affected healthcare services. Bhaurao Deoras Hospital in Mahanagar reportedly witnessed a power outage lasting nearly three hours on Thursday....