Mohali: What was announced as a 4-hour power shutdown for transformer augmentation turned into a near half-day ordeal for residents across large parts of Mohali on Sunday, with several residents reporting that they were without electricity for almost 12 hours.PSPCL had announced a shutdown from 8 am to 12 noon to increase the capacity of the Phase-1 power grid transformer from 20 MVA to 31.5 MVA. But for residents of Phases 1 to 6 and adjoining villages, the promised four-hour disruption stretched deep into the afternoon, throwing the Sunday routine out of gear.The outage came at a particularly difficult time—with hot and humid weather, families at home and students preparing for mid-term examinations. Fans and coolers stopped, inverters eventually ran out of backup and computers and internet equipment became unusable.‘Four hours announced, entire day lost’Residents questioned why a major shutdown was scheduled on a Sunday without adequate contingency arrangements or a realistic estimate of the time required for restoration.Resident Jaswinder Singh Walia said, “More than 12 hours of PSPCL power cut made life go out of gear in Phases 1 to 6. Inverters went dead and students are having mid-term examinations. Why was Sunday chosen for such an unwarranted power disruption when everyone is at home?”He said the prolonged disruption had made life particularly difficult for senior citizens, children and those who were unwell.Residents said they could have planned for a four-hour shutdown, but the extended disruption left households and businesses with little option but to endure the situation.XEN: No continuous 12-hour cutPSPCL XEN Amandeep Singh Dhanoa, however, disputed the description of the episode as a continuous 12-hour power cut.Dhanoa said the supply was regulated during the transformer augmentation work and electricity was not continuously switched off for 12 hours. The work involved raising the transformer capacity from 20 MVA to 31.5 MVA, he said.Residents, however, said the technical distinction offered little relief to consumers who were left without reliable and uninterrupted electricity for several hours beyond the announced shutdown period.Students, shops affectedThe prolonged disruption affected more than household comfort. Students preparing for examinations struggled to study without fans and adequate lighting, while computers, internet connections and other essential equipment remained out of operation.Small businesses and shops also reported disruption to their work.Residents said PSPCL should have clearly communicated the likely restoration time if the augmentation work was expected to take longer than four hours.“Capacity enhancement is necessary, but consumers should not be made to pay the price of poor communication. If the supply was going to remain regulated for most of the day, people should have been told in advance,” residents said.Worst-hit AreasPower supply was affected in Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3B1, Phase 3B2, Phase 4, Phase 5, Phase 6, Balongi, Jhujhar Nagar, Bar Majra and Jhampur.For many residents, what was supposed to be a routine infrastructure upgrade ended up turning an ordinary Sunday into a day of heat, frustration and waiting for the lights to come back on.
