Severe power cuts in Noida, Ghaziabad, residents write to Akhilesh Yadav

Reeling under the heatwave and frequent power cuts, residents of Noida have sought the help of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.

Reeling under the heatwave and frequent power cuts, residents of Noida have sought the help of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav.

Reeling under the heatwave and frequent power cuts, residents of Noida have sought the help of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav. (Hindustan Times)

Neighbouring Ghaziabad, where power demand has gone up by 200 MW compared to last year, is also suffering 6-8 hours-long outages.

On Friday, the Federation of Noida Residents’ Welfare Association (FONRWA) wrote a letter to the chief minister to issue necessary directions to the administration to relieve the city’s power misery.

“Even after being notified as a ‘No Power Cut Zone’ in 1993, Noida is witnessing long power cuts. Invertors have stopped functioning as there is very little time to recharge them,” said AN Dhawan, general secretary, FONRWA.

In the past two months, over 50 transformers have been damaged in various localities due to overloading.

“With the increasing temperature, the load on the transformers has also increased,” said Mukul Singhal, superintending engineer, Pashchimanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (PVVNL), Noida.

According to officials, the average supply of electricity in the city remains unaffected.

In Ghaziabad, residents from trans-Hindon areas have reported unscheduled electricity cuts of 6-8 hours this season.

“Indirapuram has 8-9 hours of power cuts this week due to peak summer season and rise in demand. Before this, we had 5-6 hours of cuts. In Vaishali, there are cuts of around 4-5 hours a day,” said BK Pandey, who works in Indirapuram and lives in Vaishali.

The administration, however, claimed that they are meeting the power demand.

“We are able to fully meet 700MW demand this year due to augmented infrastructure and supplying power for 22 hours this peak summer. If the demand crosses 700MW, we have to roster supplies for 1-2 hours,” said Arvind Rajvedi, chief engineer (distribution) from Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited.