45.6 degrees Celsius and climbing

Even as the temperatures today were the highest recorded during the past four years, the power situation could not be any worse.

The Delhi Vidyut Board’s power-cuts have made it clear that the power crisis in the city is too severe to be dealt with by the announced load-shedding time-table.

The DVB schedule, released two days ago, had specified that load-shedding would be resorted to in some areas only for an hour. But aggrieved Delhiites have been calling up Express Newsline ever since the schedule was announced to complain that they were without electricity for more than six hours.In areas like Old Rajendra Nagar, fans and air-conditioners had been lying idle for than 12 hours when this report was filed. Says Madan Hedge, a resident: “Before concentrating on conducting nuclear tests, why doesn’t the Government take care of supplying a minimum amount of power to the Capital.”

That the DVB is desperately groping for solutions in the dark is evident from the Delhiite’s ire. Complaints are either met with flat refusals or strange excuses from DVB men.

A resident of Pocket-11, Janakpuri, Advocate K.R. Chawla, says: “When we called up the local DVB office, they said their lineman was in an inebriated state and could not come on his own. They told us `If you want to get the fault repaired, we suggest that you bring your vehicle, pick him up and take him to the spot so that he can effect the repairs.”’

Another harassed resident Sumati Bachan, asks,“What is the use of the load-shedding schedule when the DVB does not follow it ?” She has only been managing the household with a one-hour water supply for the past month.In Paschim Vihar the power supply was erratic with power cuts taking place only during peak hours. Rajiv Bhayana, a resident, had to bear power cuts from 11 a.m. till 12 a.m. and from 3.30 p.m. till 5.00 p.m. He says: “Even complaints, to the local Vidyut Board office, fell on deaf ears and when I asked for the control room number, they refused to give it to me.” He adds: “Besides these unscheduled power cuts there will also the be scheduled power cuts in the evening. Which means we will be effectively getting power for only six to eight hours today,”said Bhayana.

South Delhi’s Seikh Sarai, phase-II area, was without power since 11 a.m., though the load-shedding schedule had only announced a one-hour power cut.Says Amrita Sen, a resident: “In a day if power cannot be provided for 12 hours, then what are we paying the taxes for? Are we to understand that half of all our money does not land in the right place or that we have to give the Government all that we earn to get the minimum amenities.”

Saket has been hit by severe water shortage. The regular water supply has lasted for only 10 minutes in the morning and five minutes in the evening. Says Rajan Zutschi, a resident: “We have requested the civic authorities to send us water tankers but they say that they have none to spare. Where do we go for water, when we do not even have drinking water?”

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