Electricity woes dog residents of Noida’s Hilston Urbtech

Urbtech promoter Arun Ghai said the original connection had been extended several times with the consent of the Pashchimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (PVVNL), while the process of getting a permanent connection was in progress, but they had declined to do so in September

Anil Tiwari, another resident, said “Especially in the mornings and evenings, when the load is high, there are voltage fluctuations sometimes. One of the geysers in my house has also short-circuited."(Representation/ File)

For months now, the residents of Hilston Urbtech society in Noida’s Sector 79 have been at odds with the builder over the issue of a permanent electricity connection to them. The society currently has a temporary connection, ordinarily used during construction. Some residents say this is insufficient to meet the load requirements of the society, and sometimes causes voltage issues, damaging household appliances.

Urbtech promoter Arun Ghai said the original connection had been extended several times with the consent of the Pashchimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (PVVNL), while the process of getting a permanent connection was in progress, but they had declined to do so in September. As work continued in October to complete excavation for the required lines, he had noted at the time that while the work was simple in nature, the proximity of Diwali had slowed down work due to labour shortage, and expressed confidence in completing it quickly.

Residents, however, say the matter has had an outsized effect on their lives and they had even staged a protest regarding the issue in October. They are also aggrieved over a blackout on September 15 that lasted 3 to 4 days, after which power was restored with diesel generators. After this, a temporary connection was obtained again, with the builder assuring that work would be completed by November 5.

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Urbtech resident Anjali said, “The days with power blackouts were very difficult for us since lifts were not functioning. One elderly woman living on the 15th floor even developed a nosebleed from walking so much. There are pregnant women residing here also.” “Many of us here are working from home, and the internet is essential for this. It becomes very difficult when power gets disrupted,” she added.

Anjali said, “About 100 families out of 180 living here had outstanding power dues… There were a lot of expenses in paying for diesel etc. An agreement was made to pay in installments… But for many families, it is being deducted from the meter… It seems that the builder is more interested in collecting dues than in finishing the permanent connection.

Ashok Taneja, who lives in the same society, also expressed his dissatisfaction with the situation. He said, “We are being forced to live under a temporary connection… And are being charged unnecessarily on the prepaid meter. The builder has delayed getting the NOC from the safety department. Another resident had also called the Faridabad office of the builder, where they said there was a software problem with the meter.”

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Meanwhile, Ghai insisted the concerns of residents are exaggerated, and that the issue will be resolved soon. He said, “All the ground work, excavation etc. for the permanent connection is done. The transformers are also ready. We just have to get the green light to start the connection. The NOC for this is in progress and we will get it done.”

Residents, however, still seem apprehensive over the situation and are planning another protest regarding the issue this weekend.

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