NEW DELHI, May 19: Delhiites had to sweat it out for another day today with the power situation going from bad to worse. Although the DVB spokesperson claimed that the power supply in the Capital remained normal, many localities had to make do without power for a large part of the day.The worst hit areas were Ashok Vihar, Gujranwala Town in North-West Delhi, Chittaranjan Park, Kalkajee, Alaknanda, New Friends Colony and Vasant Vihar in South Delhi, Mayur Vihar, Dilshad Garden and Shastri Nagar in East Delhi and Uttam Nagar in West Delhi. Many of these areas were without power for four to six hours.
``The situation has been really bad. There was no power for about two hours in the afternoon, and then it went off again in the night. We can't even complain as even the phones were not working,'' complained a resident of Ashok Vihar.
``It has become a routine feature. The power goes off about 9 p.m. every day and only comes back well past midnight. We lodged complaints at 1911 but nothing has happened,'' claimed a resident of Gujranwala Town.
Residents in many colonies complained that even TV sets and other electronic equipment have developed problems following the frequent voltage fluctuations. ``The power comes on for some time, and then goes off again after half an hour or so. This happens at least seven-eight times every day,'' said Bibhash Mukherjee of Chittranjan Park.
Residents of Kalkaji DDA Flats complained that the electricity went off about 2 a.m and came back around 9 a.m. today.
``This has become a regular feature we have complained to the DVB authorities several times but nothing has happened, the voltage is very low and even the street lights don't function,'' said Francis Clement of Kalkajee. According to some residents of New Friends Colony, the power supply went off for most parts of the day.
``The DVB keeps claiming that power situation was normal, but every day we have to bear he heat as the power goes off at odd hours,'' complained Vikram Bhargava from New Friends Colony.
In some areas the situation went out of hand as residents took to the streets to protest against the power cuts and stopped traffic near Bhikaji Cama Place, as the power went off for four hours. Despite repeated attempts to contact the DVB Chairman, Navin Chawla, he was not available for comment.According to a DVB official, with the mercury rising and transformers breaking down, the situation is likely to worsen.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
