Noida, Gzb reel under outages; protest likely against power cuts

The situation worsened on Tuesday and Wednesday as residents of various sectors in Noida and Ghaziabad claimed massive power outages during the day and night hours.

The worst-affected are the rural areas of Noida and Greater Noida, which witnessed blackout for most part of the day. The residents of Govindpuram, Vasundhara, Vaishali, Indirapuram, Raj Nagar, Sahibabad, Murad Nagar, Modi Nagar, Govindpuram in Ghaziabad, various sectors of Noida and Greater Noida are reeling under severe power crisis. The industrial belts in the cities are also facing scheduled power cut of around four hours daily.

“As mercury is rising day by day, power demands is at all time high. We have limited power sub-stations. We are also not getting additional electricity others,” said a senior official of the power department. The crisis is likely to end once supply starts from power sub-stations currently under construction,’ said an official of Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (PVVNL), a subsidiary body of Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL).

Meanwhile, a number of social organisations, resident forums, industrial bodies have threatened to stage a protest against frequent power cuts. 

“Massive power cuts were reported on Monday from every nook and corner of the city, including industrial belts, and the worst affected were the rural areas where discoms supplied electricity for only eight to 10 hours. In urban areas, power outage was reported between five and 10 hours. Owners of various industries and residents, living in multi-storey buildings, have blamed the Power Department for their increasing expenditure on diesel-driven power back up,” said NP Singh, president of Federation of Noida Residents Welfare Association (FoNRWA).

Blaming UPPCL for the crisis, the RWA office bearer said that the poor planning of the Power Department has led to the problem in the region. “On one hand, the department has increased power prices and on the other, they have ordered Noida Electricity Department to share electricity with Ghaziabad, without paying attention on the electricity demand of the city during the peak season,” said Singh.

The government figures state that Uttar Pradesh is going through a power crisis. The power demand in Noida has peaked around 1,300 MW while the supply stands at a paltry around 900 MW. In Ghaziabad, the power supply varies between 850 MW and 1,000 MW against the required demand of nearly 1,500 MW.