Power cuts in Delhi to last for 3-4 days more, says Jung

, Jun 6: Many areas of the national capital may continue to face planned blackouts for a few more days as repairs to the power towers and lines which were damaged in the storm that hit the city last week are taking time, Delhi Lt Governor

said today.

"Before the storm struck, we were generating about 5,000MW of electricity, which was reduced to 1,000MW (due to the storm). You can imagine what we went through, worried that the entire city will be plunged into darkness.

"We are now producing 4,600-4,700MW. The problem is that some big towers and lines fell in the storm and repairing them would take some time. Due to rising temperatures, the demand for power has shot up to 6,000MW, which we (cannot meet). "So, there could be blackouts for another three to four days to cope with the crisis," Jung said.

The storm on May 30, which was accompanied by winds at speeds of over 90-kmph, plunged most areas of the city into darkness as uprooted trees snapped power lines. The statement from Jung comes at a time when many areas of the national capital are facing massive load-shedding, lasting two to three hours every day. The temperature in the national capital touched a record high of 44.7 degrees Celsius yesterday and the city faced a near peak demand for power at 5,250MW.

The peak demand last June of 5,653MW may be surpassed by the weekend, according to Delhi government officials.

PTI