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Gurgaon reels under 8-hour power cuts, officials cite maintenance work

Gurgaon residents alleged that local transmission lines are insufficient to bear the power load of the infrastructure, which results in a breakdown across the city.

Updated on: Mar 1, 2017, 22:28:40 IST
Hindustan Times | By , Gurgaon
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The city has been reeling under long outages for the last two days. Officials of Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (DHBVN), the power discom, said there will be outages this week due to maintenance work ahead of summer. The residents complained that there was no prior information about power cuts and it compounded their problems.

Unscheduled maintenance work caused an outage in DLF Phase 3, sectors 56, 56, 14,17 and parts of Old Gurgaon on Tuesday. (HT File)
Unscheduled maintenance work caused an outage in DLF Phase 3, sectors 56, 56, 14,17 and parts of Old Gurgaon on Tuesday. (HT File)

An unscheduled maintenance work carried out by the DHBVN caused an outage of around eight hours in DLF Phase 3, sectors 56, 56, 14,17 and parts of Old Gurgaon on Tuesday. The situation remained the same in many areas on Wednesday.

“We should have been informed regarding the power cuts as residents were not aware and were not prepared. Many had to leave for office without ironed clothes and had to visit cyber cafés for official work,” Ajay Pandita of Valley View Estate on Gurgaon-Faridabad Road, said.

Prerna Singh of V-block in DLF Phase-3, said, “Power supply to DLF City phase-3 and phase-1 was cut off around 10am and resumed around 6pm on Tuesday. I had baked a cake but it got spoiled due to the power cut. I could not carry out other works either.”

Old Gurgaon, including Palam Vihar, have been experiencing a daily outage of two to three hours. A power outage of around four hours was reported on Wednesday from the nearby areas.

Residents alleged that the local transmission lines are insufficient to bear the load of the infrastructure, which results in a breakdown across the city.

“The government should focus on improving the infrastructure, which will in-turn improve the situation. We are facing power cuts in the beginning of summer. If it (power equipment) is not maintained well, there will be long power cuts,” Dhruv Bansal, a member of DLF Qutab Enclave RWA, said.

Sadhana Verma of Sector 57 said, “The sector is the worst affected area in the entire city. There are daily power cuts that last for more than four hours. Moreover, nobody responds to calls on the helpline number.”

Naveen Kumar Verma, the superintending engineer, DHBVN, said, “The power cuts are due to the maintenance work on transformers. Equipment in the powerhouses, supply lines and cables are to be checked. The work will be completed by Sunday. This summer, we are hopeful that residents will not suffer power cuts unless there is a technical fault, and we will receive fewer complaints.”

  • Leena Dhankhar
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Leena Dhankhar

    Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest. Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents. Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure. Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing. Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity. Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations. Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling. A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.Read More