Even as two weekly offs have been imposed on the industry, the PSEB has failed to cope up with the domestic supply. “The power cuts have increased with a little increase in temperature. Even after the imposition of strictures on the industry, the power cuts are unavoidable,” said a senior PSEB official.

Locals rue that they are forced to postpone important work owing to the power cuts twice a day. The cuts are imposed even on Sundays, despite the fact that most of the offices are closed. “No a single day goes by without a power cut,” said Poonam, a resident of Punjabi Bagh.

The city residents undergo nearly three hours without power each day the cuts are spread from 10.30 am to noon and from 3.30 pm to 5 pm. The condition in the villages is even worse as the cuts are of a longer duration and frequently unscheduled.

“Apart from this, long maintenance cuts are also imposed without prior intimation. Out of the nine hours in the morning, there is no power for five,” said another resident.

“Sometimes the electricity is missing so long that we have to shift to generators for watering our fields. Last month, the erratic power supply we lost our vegetable crop, as we failed to water it everyday,” said a farmer of village Sanaur.

“Due to the frost, our crop needed more water. But in the absence of electricity, all our efforts to save the crop were futile. The situation has worsened now as the duration of cuts has increased,” he added.

Meanwhile, the PSEB has not hinted at any respite from the power cuts. “This year’s power purchase has already lessened by Rs 5 crore per day as compared to last year. Hence, there is no option but to impose the cuts,” revealed a PSEB source.

Manufacturers in the city face an added problem. With the increase in diesel prices, running generators throughout the day has become a costly proposition.