Prolonged power outages leave New Chandigarh residents fuming

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 17

With humid weather continuing to be at its peak, residents of Ecocity-1 in New Chandigarh have been battling power pangs due to alleged poor quality underground cabling done by the real estate developer.

On some days in the past week, some pockets barely got power for eight to nine hours, claimed residents.

Around 700 families have been residing in this Mullanpur Sector 6 project, which was launched with much fanfare by the Punjab Government and the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA).

A resident, Inderpreet Kukreja, claimed, “No such problem existed in other New Chandigarh projects, including DLF and Omaxe, or even surrounding villages. It’s a daily struggle.”

As the real estate developer left underground cabling incomplete, officials were now unable to detect where the fault lied, said Kukreja. “They temporarily connected cables from one meter to another. Moreover, live wires are hanging precariously over roads,” he added.

Residents’ Welfare Association (RWA) member Gurinder Singh said, “The PSPCL took charge of underground cables and other power infrastructure in March this year without properly examining the quality of work done by the real estate developer,” he claimed.

The RWA has also written to Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and the PSPCL chairman-cum-managing director in this regard.