Palam Vihar residents in Gurugram pool money to rent transformers

Tired of frequent power outages, a group of residents of Palam Vihar has decided to take matters in their own hands and initiate a fund-raising plan to repair damaged transformers and pay rentals for newly hired transformers.

The residents have decided to contribute this money directly to Pro-facility Services Private Limited (Profac), the maintenance agency of the colony. Subhash Sharma, a resident of Block-E, said, “We have agreed to contribute ₹300 for the next four months for an uninterrupted supply of electricity. Once the Smart Grid project is rolled out in Palam Vihar and the colony is taken over by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), electricity distribution will hopefully return to normalcy.”

The Profac called a meeting of the residents of the colony on Sunday to address the issue of power cuts. In the meeting, the agency informed the residents that the colony required at least 20 new transformers on rent to ensure better electricity supply over the next four months. “However, the money for hiring transformers would come from voluntary contributions from the residents. We will visit every house and request people to pay ₹300 a month towards the fund,” said Ishu Aggarwal, a member of the group that chalked out the plan.

Officials of Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN), when contacted, said Palam Vihar has been developed by a private builder, namely Ansal API Limited. Electricity maintenance still remains with the developer, while the discom is mainly responsible for collecting electricity bills. Although the residents of the colony approached the discom to take up the maintenance of the power infrastructure of the colony, nothing happened. As such, the residents had no other choice but to approach the maintenance company.

Pradeep Kumar, general manager, Profac, said, “We have calculated a lump sum amount of ₹15-20 lakh on electricity maintenance for the next four months and that money will be raised voluntarily from the house owners. We need at least 20 new transformers that we will be taken on rent. Besides that we have other expenses as well. Currently, we lack funds to maintain electricity infrastructure. Residents have requested us for relief from frequent power cuts. We have suggested them a temporary plan, which is still at an initial stage now.” This plan, said Kumar, will be in place till the Smart Grid project becomes operational in the area.

The Smart Grid project, aimed at improving the electricity distribution system in the city, is currently underway and likely to be commissioned in Palam Vihar area by October 2019.

Lalji Tandon, a resident, said, “Transformers are getting damaged frequently in Palam Vihar. Profac does not have adequate funds to repair them. To complicate matters further, we presently have no residents’ welfare association (RWA), which was dissolved in April. Fresh elections are yet to take place. We needed to find an effective solution of the frequent power cuts. Profac told us that it needed a lump sum amount and we have agreed to contribute for four months or till the Smart Grid project gets commissioned and power problems are resolved permanently.

Power cuts in Palam Vihar have mainly taken place due to frequent blasts in transformers and other faults, thereby forcing the residents to spend hours without electricity. Earlier on May 3, the DHBVN had suggested to residents to pay ₹150/house/month for electricity infrastructure maintenance. That plan, however, could not materialise.

Sanjiv Chopra, chief engineer DHBVN, said, “Our Smart Grid project in Palam Vihar is likely to be commissioned by October and the MCG will take over this colony as well in next couple of months. The DHBVN will be able to maintain electricity system properly then.”