On Saturday, 4th July, Delhiites can expect a round of power cuts while the discoms get on with their maintenance and upgrades in a number of neighbourhoods. BRPL and BYPL have put out a word about the temporary loss of supply and are asking consumers to make of it what they can so as not to be left in the lurch.
It won’t be one size fits all. Some of the outages will be over in a jiffy and confined to a small area; others may last up to three hours in a few localities. BRPL says the reason for the shutdowns is to see to transformer and LT circuit work, fix what’s broken and generally put the network in better shape.
Who is affected and when
In South Delhi, there are a couple of time slots to be aware of. At JNU in Hauz Khas, power will be off from 11:07 am to 1:07 pm on account of a damaged RMU coupling bus bar. A bit closer in, some of South Extension II will have a brief one from 2:08 to 2:23 pm because of an issue with the RMU mechanism.
You will find the heaviest activity in West and South-West Delhi. In Dwarka, Suraj Vihar is down for a network upgrade from 10:07 am to 12:07 pm. Over in Mohan Garden’s Block S in Razapur Khurd, the lights go out from 11 to 2 for some transformer work.
West Delhi clusters: Janakpuri, Palam, Rajouri Garden
Those in Janakpuri have a few windows to look at. C-1 is set for 11:07 to 12:37, and C-2C from 11 to 12:30. Further on in the Rajouri Garden Extension, Block J-8 has a longer break planned, 12 to 2, for some LT circuit maintenance.
The Palam division has a shared slot for Raj Nagar Extension, Vijay Enclave and Mangalpuri-II, with no supply from 11 to 12:30. This is to put in a new LTAB circuit and do some transformer upgradation, all to head off any trouble before the demand picks up.
North-West and South-East pockets
Nangloi is in the mix as well. From 10 to 1, DDA Park, Nihal Vihar, Adhyapak Nagar and Block B in Paschim Vihar will be without power for some transformer work. The teams will be putting it back on in stages as they finish up the circuits.
Then there is Mithapur in the Sarita Vihar side of things, which is to be without electricity from 11 to 1 over a burnt transformer lead. The utility makes it a point to handle such things in a timely fashion for the sake of safety and to stop a problem from getting out of hand.
Key timings at a glance
To make planning easier, here is what BRPL has put forward:
– JNU, Hauz Khas: 11:07 am to 1:07 pm
– South Extension II: 2:08 pm to 2:23 pm
– Janakpuri J-8, Rajouri Garden Ext.: 12:00 to 14:00
– Mohan Garden Block S: 11 am to 2 pm
– Suraj Vihar, Dwarka: 10:07 am to 12:07 pm
Why these shutdowns matter now
The discom’s line is that you can’t have a stable grid without them. It is a matter of doing the necessary upgrades and repairs to the equipment so there are no surprises. By doing it in a controlled way, the risk of an emergency cut during the busy part of the day is kept to a minimum.
BRPL and BYPL have let those in the know that it is worth planning around these times. The idea is to put up with a little inconvenience today for a more reliable system and to have some room to spare when the need arises.
What residents should do
The power company is asking people to be in the loop and to flag any odd behaviour with the infrastructure right away. It is also a good idea to work the outage times into one’s schedule for the important stuff to be had of it.
What comes next
Power should be back as the crews move from one area to the next and close out their work. For the 4th of July, the focus is on these advisories, but BRPL and BYPL have made it clear that this kind of upkeep is part and parcel of the job and will go on as it should.
If there are any last-minute changes, it is best to check in with the discoms. They stand by the fact that what is being done is to keep the network in order and to make sure there are no protracted, unannounced blackouts down the line.
