‘Low voltage supply for six months’: Sector 117 waits for new transformer

NOIDA: Nearly 1,700 residents of Sector 117 complained about a low voltage supply of 100-125 Volts compared to 220 Volts, the standard for households, over the past six-seven months.
The same has been causing voltage fluctuations, frequent tripping, and damage to electrical equipment.
Residents said they have been unable to use the air conditioners and sometimes even refrigerators this summer. Water supply pumps also do not function properly at such low voltage.
“We are facing several problems due to low voltage. The entire summer has been spent without ACs and sometimes refrigerators. Many residents have complained that the situation has damaged their electrical equipment. We have written many letters and held meetings with power officials. But nothing has changed,” said Kosinder Yadav, RWA president, Sector 117.
Currently, only one 250kVA transformer supplies power to the entire sector -- which, said residents, is inadequate. While capacity enhancement and load sharing from a new 400kVA transformer was approved by the power department in an earlier meeting in June this year and sent to Meerut for sanction, there has been no movement on it so far.
“Mentioning the current load of the sector and the low voltage problem, we had written a letter to Noida power department chief engineer VN Singh. He approved an additional 400kVA transformer for the sector and sent the request to the PVVNL managing director (MD) at Meerut on June 20 for sanction of funds,” said Yadav. TOI has a copy of that letter.
In a subsequent meeting of Noida RWAs under the banner of the Federation of Noida Residents Welfare Associations (FONRWA) with Arvind Mallapa Bangari, MD, PVVNL, on July 23, the issue came up again. “In that meeting, Bangari directed officials to install the transformer within a week. One and a half months on, it is still not there, and the situation is getting worse,” said Yadav.
VN Singh has moved to Meerut following a transfer, and JV Singh took charge as th0e new Noida power department chief engineer a couple of weeks ago. He told TOI that he would look into the matter. “I will check the status of the letter sent by the former chief engineer and follow it up at the earliest,” Singh said.
The sector has 275 plots -- residential and commercial -- across three blocks. At least 1,500-1,700 residents live in the sector housing playschools, markets, and other institutions.