76 residential colonies in Ggm don't have 24-hour power supply

Gurugram: Under the graded response action plan (GRAP), from October 15 the diesel generators will not be not allowed to function in Gurugram.

The main problem, however, is the erratic power supply that is prevalent in various areas of the city. There are 76 residential colonies spread in the sectors of Sectors 58 - 81 in Gurugram that do not have 24-hour power supply.

The main reason for the problem is the lack of power infrastructure by the Dakshin Haryana Bijili Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) due to the external development charge by the builders.

It is estimated that there are over 15,000 households that are not receiving the power supply all day long and therefore are dependent on the diesel generators for their power needs.

The DHBVN has earmarked a budget of Rs 944 crore for setting up the sub-station to supply power to these sectors. Despite several plans, the substation has not been set up.

For a city where many parts still reel under power cuts of 3-6 hours residents still rely on diesel gensets for their power needs.

While the cost of power supplied ranged from Rs 7 to Rs 8 per unit, service providers of diesel generators are charging their customers an exorbitant amount ranging from Rs 11 to Rs 15 per unit.

Worryingly, this is in addition to the households that are already dependent on the diesel generators for their regular power supply.

The usage of diesel generators is one of the main reasons why the pollution levels in Gurugram has not seized.

Besides erratic power supply, what is even a major concern is how most of the residential societies are also dependent upon diesel generators for their power needs.

This troubling reality again came to fore when residents of ILD greens, Ramprastha city, and Imperia Esfera approached the Department of Town and Country planning to find a solution to the problem.

In order to curb spiraling levels of air pollution in Gurugram, there were plans to phase out the generators running on diesel and replace it with CNG run gensets. The move will be adopted under graded actions system by the environment pollution control authority (EPCA).

Information from RTI had recently revealed that there are more than 10,000 diesel generators that are operational in the city.

Besides a large number of households, many industrial units are also forced to rely on the diesel-run generators due to the erratic power

supply.