Gurgaon: DLF residents reel under power outages

A senior official with DHBVN on the condition of anonymity said the power crisis in the area is “artificial” and has been caused due to power theft.

Residents of DLF Phase 1, 2 and 3 are reeling under three to four hours of daily power outages without any foreseeable solution.

The residents of DLF Phase 1,2 and 3 complain of power cuts. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

Residents said the power cuts have become a norm over the last three months and there has been no response to their complaints from the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN).

The DHBVN officials cited reasons of “technical issues” for the power cuts. They however told the residents that the power supply “remained uninterrupted”.

However, a senior official with DHBVN on the condition of anonymity said the power crisis in the area is “artificial” and has been caused due to power theft.

“We have just finished calculating power theft cases in the city for July. Over 264 cases of power theft were registered and Rs 2.33 crore of fine were imposed on violators. A large share of these violations were detected from these three areas - DLF Phase 1, 2 and 3,” an executive engineer said.

The official said the power crisis scenario will improve drastically after power thefts were detected.

For residents living under this crisis, uncertainty is their biggest concern.

“The power supply is erratic and ends up being an impediment to basic household chores. We only hope that electricity does not run out at night and disturb our sleep,” Anurag Chattopadhyay, a resident of DLF Phase 1 said.

Some residents were also aggrieved with the lack of clarity on the issue.

“From power lines tripping, technical errors in transformers to overheating due to rains, DHBVN officials have given us a different versions on power outages each time. It seems they are yet to act upon on any of those issues,” Varun Bansal, a resident of DLF Phase 2 said.

Last month, DHBVN had announced that from August 15, the city will get uninterrupted power supply. Later, state government officials said the same will be restricted to the rural areas in the district.

Chief engineer of DHBVN, Sanjeev Chopra did not wish to comment on the matter.