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Struggling with summer, battling with power cuts

PUDUCHERRY: Citizens of Puducherry are fighting a tough battle against the summer, thanks to undeclared power cuts in most parts of the Union Territory.

Several areas in the town and its outskirts are experiencing long undeclared power cuts during the day and the night for the last few days.

Radha, a housewife residing at Rajaji Nagar, Lawspet, said, “During the last week, power supply was disrupted exactly at 10 pm for three consecutive days. It used to resume after an hour, making it too tough for people to sleep. This was too hard on the children.”

The undeclared power cuts come in the midst of regular power shutdowns announced to carry out maintenance work during the day time. Though the authorities were prompt to stop the supply at the scheduled time, they did not restart it at the mentioned hour, Ms. Radha alleged.

V. Santhanam, a resident of Church Street at Reddiarpalayam, said, “The power supply is being disrupted at regular intervals. This is going on for the last two weeks.” Residents alleged that the authorities concerned would not give them a proper reply regarding the reason for the undeclared power cuts.

A resident of Lawspet alleged that on several occasions, the night attendants at the Electricity Board office failed to pick up the telephone when the people called up to inquire about the reason for the power disruption.

When contacted, officials in the Electricity Department said that undeclared power shutdown was owing to fall in the supply at the Central Generating Stations.

“We get power from the Central Generating Stations to meet our demand. The supply gets disrupted when there is fall or a problem in the central grid,” a senior engineer told The Hindu.

Following the enactment of Electricity Act 2003, the States and the Union Territories were not allowed to overdraw power from the central grid, he said, adding that any violation would be taken seriously by the Union government.

On an average, the Union Territory consumed 220 mega watts during daytime and 250 mega watts during rush hour, from 6 p.m to 10 p.m, an official said.

The demand goes up by 30 per cent during summer, he said adding that over the last few years, there was annual increase of 8 to 10 per cent on the demand side.

However, there was no shortage and the demand could be met easily with “prompt supply from the central grid.” The department was closely monitoring the functioning of industrial units as there they were not allowed to function during the peak hour, he said. The public could approach the department if there was any complaints. He said that the divisional and area offices have been told to attend the complaints without delay.

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