Najeem Khan, a 21-year-old B.Ed student in Hyderabad has been procrastinating on his college project for nearly a month. His excuse, he says, is the frequent power cuts in his neighbourhood – Hafiz Baba Nagar.
“I still need to finish nearly four projects, and whenever I start working on it, the power goes off. There have been frequent power cuts. After college gets over, I get time only late in the evening to work on the projects. But most days, there will be no power,” explains Najeem.
Najeem isn’t the only affected by the repeated power outages in Hafiz Baba Nagar. Nearly 7000 people residing in the six blocks of the residential area have the same complaint.
But it’s the students, who are preparing for their class 12 board examinations, who are the worst hit.
“Few days ago, the power went during the night. It was my daughter’s SSC exam the next day. We had to send her to my mother’s house so that she can study. This has been going on for a long time. The moment we call the officials they say, the light will come soon but then they switch off their numbers,” complains Abdul Azeem, a resident.
On Saturday, Hafiz Baba Nagar witnessed a blackout for nearly three hours at night.
“It’s so hot these days and we are facing a power cut every day. On Saturday, the power went from 8pm to 11pm. Last week, on the night before my niece’s exam, the power went off. She was so worried, I had to calm her down and arrange a battery-operated table light for her to study,” says Ghouse Mohammad, another resident.
However, the Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TSSPDCL) claims there have been no major power cuts in south circle of the city.
“There was a breakdown of power on Saturday in north and south zones. The outage at north zone was worse than the south, but there is no major issue. If there is any cable problem or maintenance issue, we have to switch of the main power system to look into the problem. Naturally it will take some time, but we resolve all the maintenance issues,” points out Anand, Sub-Engineer of TSSPDCL.
He explains that south zone suffered from equipment failure on Saturday and TSSPDCL had to isolate the faulty location to resolve the issue. Supply was, however, restored in a few hours, he notes.
“They have been saying the same thing for nearly a month now. This isn’t just happening this year, this has been the case last year also during the exams. In the old city area, there are several students who had to stay at their friend’s or relative’s house in order to study when there was a power cut at home. They should find a permanent solution to the issue,” says Amjed Ullah Khan, spokesperson of Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT), who has been receiving complaints from residents of the area.