The dharna continued for seven hours -- from 6 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. on Shankar Road -- and the morning rush-hour traffic was severely disrupted as a result. Area MLA Pooran Chand Jogi was also present at the demonstration.

DVB officials said that there was a technical problem in the grid at Shankar Road which had been rectified and that the transformers were working. Vineet Arora of the New Rajinder Nagar said today that there was no power in his area for over 15 hours. ``The power went off at 2 this morning and came on as late as 5 p.m.. When we call up the complaint centres or try to speak to the engineers in the area they give us vague excuses. For the past 15 days, power-cuts are averaging over 12 hours a day. Even when the power is on, the voltage is extremely low and household appliances get damaged due to fluctuations. The DVB should compensate us for these damages.''

Vinit Sharma of Vishwas Nagar, Shahdara, says that over 50 households in the area have been without power since the past 13 days. ``DVB officials told us that there was a cable fault and that the fault-checking machine was not available.'' Residents of Greater Kailash II have also been subjected to long power cuts. ``If the authorities do not take any steps to rectify the situation, we will go out on the streets and conduct chakka jams and block roads,'' said a resident. Residents of Khan Market complained of daily disruption in power supply that last up to three to four hours. ``This has been happening for the past seven days,'' said a resident.

Residents of many south Delhi colonies have have also complained of low voltage leading to trouble with electrical appliances. The DVB says that the power demand touched 2,232 MW -- one of the highest levels that demand has reached this season. The increase in demand is attributed to the AC load resulting in low voltage between 175 KV to 178 KV.

Despite taking steps to improve the power situation in Gurgaon, the Haryana State Electricity Board (HSEB) finds itself in an awkward position following short supply of electricity from the northern grid. Intermittent power cuts and low voltage plague almost all the parts of the town. ``The common man does not understand technical words. All he wants in this sultry weather is adequate power supply, and that, I am afraid, we are not getting,'' said Satish Chander, a resident of Sector-17.