Greater Noida: Sector 1 society residents paying triple for power due to snag

Hundreds of residents of Arihant Arden society in Sector 1 of Greater Noida have been forced to pay through their noses for power backup as an electricity transformer that got damaged three days ago is yet to be repaired.

Against the Rs6 per unit that residents pay for power supplied through the transformer by the discom, they are being charged Rs18.75 per unit for the power supplied through the generator set.

Residents have taken to social media and have been tweeting to get in touch with the builder and Noida Power Corporation Limited (NPCL) on the issue, but they are yet to get relief.

There are nearly 450 families living in 10 towers of the society and all are getting power through the generator since Saturday. “We have spoken to the builder but he is saying that the transformer is not under warranty which is why it is taking so long for replacing it. We have been told that a temporary transformer is being arranged but no action has been taken on the ground till now,” said Deepak Nandal, a resident.

“Despite paying high maintenance charges to the builder for two years in advance, the builder did not take an annual maintenance contract for the transformer which he had bought from Schneider. In the last three days, the generator is consistently switched on because of main power supply issue. There were many voltage fluctuations due to which some electrical equipment got damaged,” Nandal said.

NPCL has informed the society members that there is no issue from their side, which implies that replacing the transformer is the only option.

Another resident, Amit Shrivastav, also tweeted to the authorities concerned. “It’s been three days since we had power supply and are paying a bomb for the electricity we are getting from the generator. The builder has been giving excuses but in this heat, it’s difficult to survive without fridge and other equipment,” said Shrivastav.

The society residents held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the issue.

Rajesh Jain, one of the builders of Arihant Arden society, said that the process of changing the transformer is facing a delay due to technical issues. “We got in touch with the transformer company but they refused to replace it because it’s not under warranty. We are arranging for a temporary transformer that will be installed by Wednesday,” said Jain.

When Jain was asked if they will refund the extra money spent by the residents on power supplied through generator, he said that they will consider the issue.