Power cuts all set to return to Telangana

The annual maintenance activities are traditionally conducted between November and January each year.

Hyderabad: Power cuts are all set to return to Telangana soon after Sankranti, albeit under the garb of ‘power interruptions during routine maintenance works’. These will be more in the Greater Hyderabad region, though other areas in the State too could face similar situations.

The unofficial announcement came on Sunday in the form of a post on social media platform ‘X’ from Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TSSPDCL) chairman and managing director Musharraf Ali Faruqui, who was responding to posts on ‘X’ on power cuts in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) areas. Though Faruqui later deleted his tweets, screenshots of his posts show him first acknowledging the inconvenience caused by power interruptions in various parts of Greater Hyderabad.

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The posts to which he responded included some which said the number of power cuts had increased in the recent past, with the situation earlier being one instance in a week and that too for a brief while. However, the posts also pointed out that earlier this week, a few colonies in Secunderabad had faced power cuts briefly after midnight too.

In his response, Faruqui said the power cuts were part of the annual maintenance routine aimed at preparing for higher power demand in the upcoming summer/Rabi season. These could last up to two hours, he said.

However, there was no word on why there were power supply disruptions even past midnight, something unusual in Telangana for nearly nine years. There were no official comments on what sort of maintenance works were being taken past midnight.

“We regret the inconvenience caused due to power interruptions in various parts of GHMC. Kindly note as part of annual maintenance & to prepare for higher power demand in Summer/Rabi season, power cut of up to 2 hours may be required,” (sic) was what Faruqui actually posted on X before deleting the same. He had also tagged Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka in the post.

“Annual maintenance is taken up every year during Nov-Jan. Due to assembly elections last month, the exercise has been delayed,” he said, adding the exercise would resume only after Sankranti.

“Maintenance includes tree branches pruning, correction of lines, replacement of parts if needed & other safety measures. Power interruption only in those areas where maintenance is being done,” (sic) he added.

When contacted, Faruqui said power maintenance was an annual feature being done every year during December and January and that power interruptions would be only in those areas where maintenance was being carried out.

“Power interruption will be between 30 minutes to a maximum of two hours, depending upon the nature of work,” he said, adding that the maintenance work would be taken up more in the Greater Hyderabad limits compared to other parts of the State.

Northern Power Distribution Company of Telangana Limited (TSNPDCL) officials too said that during the annual maintenance works, there would be power interruptions but only in those areas where it was being done and for about two to three hours depending upon the nature of work.

“Maintenance work is a continuous process and it is done mainly on every second Saturday. It does not affect the entire power supply,” a TSNPDCL official said.

Exercise will resume only after Sankranti.

Maintenance includes tree branches pruning, correction of lines, replacement of parts if needed & other safety measures

Power interruption only in those areas where maintenance is being done.

— Musharraf Ali Faruqui (@musharraf_ias) January 14, 2024