Hyderabad: The power problems in Old City are unending and residents complain of increasing irregularities in power supply.
Areas on the Old City such as Yakutpura, Dabeerpura, Suraj Talkies, Alijah Kotla, Noor Khan Bazaar, Bandlaguda, Chandrayangutta, Baba Nagar, Bahadurpura, Moghalpura and Falaknuma are reeling under frequent power outages.
MIM MLA Syed Ahmed Pasha Quadri said, “We had given several representations to the authorities for enhancing the capacity of existing transformers, but this is not being done. An urgent need is to update the existing ones from 315kv to 500kv and 160kv to 315kv.”
With the summer is at its peak, the existing transformers are simply unable to keep up with the demand, and keep on malfunctioning. Once it malfunctions, a transformer should be sent to the Sanathnagar repairing unit. While the transformer goes for repairs, residents have to bear with the power cut for a minimum of six hours every day, and this can go on till the transformer comes back after repairs.
“We have requested the government to set up a repairing unit in Bandlaguda. We have finalised the land, but the government is yet to warm up,” said Mr Quadri.
Md. Zafar, a resident of Babanagar, said, “There are no proper timings for the power cuts and this problem erupts every summer. When we call the electricity officials, they don’t respond to our calls. So we end up calling the local MLA or corporator. After their intervention, officials respond to us, but how long can this go on?”
Another resident of Bandlaguda, Siraj Khan, said: “There are unofficial power cuts. The load shedding is also going on, because the power should be distributed equally to all areas. If the government enhances the capacity of transformers and if the new substation at Petlaburj starts working, then half our electricity problems will be solved.”
K. Satish Kumar, CGM (operations) of Transco said, “There are issues with the cables, but we are rectifying it and also replacing the old cables with new ones. Frequent load shedding has been stopped, but every day we receive around 20-25 calls regarding transformer breakdown or cables being damaged or oil leakages in transformers.”
“If we receive calls during the day, we immediately rectify the problem and solve it within an hour. But if a major problem arises during nights, we substitute the faulty transformer with a mobile transformer,” noted the CGM.
