After Friday’s massive dust and thunderstorm, residents of Delhi-NCR on Saturday had to struggle with its after-effects in the form of prolonged power cuts. Not just the night that followed the storm, but city dwellers had to face a tortuous day throughout making it a sultry weekend for them in the absence of electricity. With the grim power situation lurking in the Capital, Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal reviewed the scenario along with officials of the ministry, Delhi power distribution companies and the Power Grid Corporation.
People in several areas of Delhi had a harrowing time as power supply was snapped for over 17 hours because of damage in the electricity network on Friday evening. Areas like Dwarka, Rohini, Jahangirpuri and some parts of East and Outer Delhi plunged into complete darkness. The affected residents expressed anger over failure of concerned agencies to repair the power network, which also affected water supply in these areas, adding to the residents’ woes in the summer heat. “There has been no electricity in our area since 5.05 pm (Friday). There is no water either,” said Vimla Khanna, a resident of Jahangirpuri area.
Three major 220 KB transmission lines from Bamnauli to Pappan Kalan grid, Bawana to Rohini grid and Mandola-Gopalpur grid were severely damaged in the storm because of which supply of power could not be restored in various areas of West Delhi like Palam, Dwarka, Tilak Nagar, Rajouri Garden, Uttam Nagar, Vikaspuri and Janakpuri. “Presently, about 3,800 MW load is being met. There is a load restriction of about 200 MW in Pappan Kalan, Gopalpur and Rohini areas of Delhi,” said an official in the Power Department.