Delhi's power and water woes continue without an end in sight, with citizens taking to the streets yet again Saturday to protest the crippling shortages.
Delhi's power and water woes continue without an end in sight, with citizens taking to the streets yet again Saturday to protest the crippling shortages.
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People blocked traffic, vandalized offices of power distribution companies and demonstrated outside the home of state Power Minister A.K. Walia.
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At several places in Mayur Vihar, Okhla, Rajinder Nagar, Tilak Nagar and localities in east Delhi, people blocked traffic and vandalized offices of power service providers, a police official said.
"There is no light and no water for the last two days and nobody is listening to us. We have made several complaints to authorities but all in vain," said Jaspal Raj, a resident of Rajinder Nagar in central Delhi.
East, north and outer Delhi areas were powerless for five to nine hours hours Friday night following the failure of a power grid in the capital.
"Life has become a living hell in national capital these days, in last 48 hours we have got power supply for only 8-10 hours. Inverters have stopped working. In my building I could hear the voices of babies crying the whole night as they can't sleep in this terribly hot weather," Parvez Akhtar, a resident of Jamia Nagar area, told IANS.
"Families with new-borns or young babies are having a tough time. On top of that, there is an acute shortage of drinking water too. All tall claims of the government of improving basic infrastructure in the capital have fallen flat," said Akhtar.
According to a Delhi Transco Limited official, the city's power demand Friday was 4,206 megawatts but it received only 4,171 megawatts.
"The reason behind the power shortage was a grid problem in Loni in east Delhi resulting in low frequency. Moreover, the power distribution companies are not following any specific plan and are doing things on their own," an official said.
Shweta Sharma, a resident of Lajpat Nagar, said: "Things get worse when you go home and there is no electricity. There is no respite from the heat outside and when there are 4-5 hours power cuts, you don't know what to do. It's high time that the government gives a serious thought and solves this problem for good. Every year people have to bear the brunt despite paying taxes."
Varun Sethia, a resident of Kirti Nagar in west Delhi, said,"It is a normal routine now for the electricity to go off for 2-3 hours. None of the complaints are addressed. As far as water is concerned,it should come for 2 hours daily but now most of the times, it comes just once a day and sometimes doesn't come at all."
Frequent power cuts have made life difficult for senior citizens also.
"The whole night there was no electricity. As I am not well, I remained restless throughout the night. We give all the taxes to the government and even then we don't get electricity. It is pathetic," said 70-year-old Pushpawati Aggarwal.
With the power situation deteriorating in the capital, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had earlier this week asked the discoms to publish the schedule of power cuts so that people could plan their day accordingly.
The met department, meanwhile, said the heat wave conditions would continue for the next couple of days across north India.
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