The DVB announced the load-shedding schedule today but the power situation in the Capital continued to be bad with residents from many areas complaining of frequent and lengthy power breakdowns. The worst was still in store for residents in some parts of the city as taps went dry.

There were heated arguments between residents and DVB employees in many parts of the city. Angry residents from Safdarjung Enclave even went to the DVB Chief Naveen Chawla's house to protest yesterday. Chawla reportedly refused to meet them. In several East Delhi areas, residents blocked roads to protest against the power and water crisis. In Hauz Khas, angry residents beat up DVB employees who reached late to rectify a fault. According to senior police officials, PCR vans have been instructed to be on alert and have been posted near the DVB substations and complaint centres.

Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma's much publicised mission failed to stem the power breakdown. A resident of Safdarjung Enclave, M.L. Sandhu, said: ``It's all a farce. Yesterday they restored the power supply when the Chief Minister was here, but today we had power cuts, four times in a day.... DVB needs to do something concrete, even the CM's visit has failed to have any impact.'' The power supply was restored in Sandhu's house after Delhi Chief Minister paid a surprise visit at the DVB complaint centre last night, but today it went off again.

R. Sheshadari, a resident of Vasant Kunj, complained: ``It is really bad here. We have been having frequent power cuts. The power went off thrice during the afternoon today. The water situation is bad in any case. We are so fed up that we are planning to go out of Delhi for some days.'' A resident of Rohini, Sector 8, complained that that the water pressure has become very low and the supply only comes during odd hours. Some residents of Mayur Vihar, Patparganj, Shahadara, Geeta Colony and Ghonda complained that there has been been no water supply for the last three days. A resident of Yamuna Vihar in East Delhi, O.P. Sharma, said: ``We have had to drink water from hand pumps as there has been no water supply since the last two days. We had called for a tanker, but there hasn't been any sign of it as yet.'' Senior officials of the Delhi Jal Board passed on the buck of the water crisis to the DVB saying that in the face of power failure and low voltage, they cannot do much.

``We are helpless. If there is a disruption in the power supply in an area, the water supply is also disrupted.'' According to the Jal Board officials, there were around 50 to 60 complaints regarding water supply since morning, and that they were trying to restore supply. ``We have also made provisions for water tankers in the areas from which the complaints are being received,'' the official added.

He explained that at many places the service pipes which are installed by the residents themselves have become old and have many leakages due to which the pressure of water is affected. Apart from this many residents have also installed booster pumps on the direct water line which was causing the problem, he added.

The official said instructions had been given to the operators that in case of power failure, the water supply should be restored the moment the power supply is restored. Contrary to the official versions, most residents complained that despite repeated reminders, water tankers had not been sent. The Jal Board chief could not be contacted for comment.