Schedules cast out of window

Manish Luthra (32), a photocopy shop owner at the Janak Puri District Centre has been incurring a loss of Rs 4,000 daily owing to long and unscheduled power-cuts in the area.

Manish Luthra (32), a photocopy shop owner at the Janak Puri District Centre has been incurring a loss of Rs 4,000 daily owing to long and unscheduled power-cuts in the area.

HT Image

“Since my business depends on electricity, even a minor fluctuation affects it. My business suffers not only because I’m unable to deliver good service, but also because I have to spend a lot on fuel for generators. I’m losing at least 40 percent of my daily earnings because of these unscheduled power-cuts,” rued Luthra.

According to shop owners, the power situation has deteriorated over the past week. The unpredictability of the power cuts, accentuated by the heat, has made the situation worse, “There’s no schedule. We can’t plan in advance and because of that our service suffers. Neither can we offer our customers heated snacks, nor cool drinks.

They have started going to adjoining malls instead of coming to us,” said Dinesh Narang (45), a café owner.

Facing the worst power crisis in decades, shop owners in the area feel the government should take special care of the power supply to commercial areas.

“How will we pay our shop rents and feed our families if this situation continues,” asked Narang.