Ggm's power cuts haunt those recovering at home using critical medical equipment

Gurugram: Receiving treatment for COVID-19 by being under home isolation, thousands of patients and their loved ones continue to be on the edge with long duration of power cuts being reported from several parts of Gurugram.

With there now being incidents of power outages lasting for 18 to 20 hours in some areas, the health situation becomes even more precarious with patients who are dependent on oxygen concentrators. In Sector 23-A owing to some technical faults over 130 houses had no power for more than 24 hours, following which many patients had to be moved into homes in areas where power supply was stable.

Not only Sector 23-A but long duration of power cuts that have lasted for minimum 10 hours have been reported from several areas of Gurugram city.

"My father had recently recovered from COVID-19 and was discharged from hospital recently. He is still on oxygen support and receiving the supply from the oxygen concentrator.

"In Gurugram, we are prepared mentally to face power cuts for at least six to eight hours but in my area for the last few days there have been cuts that have lasted for more than 12 hours. We could not take chances with our father and had to shift him to our relative's house in DLF area where power back up is slightly better," said Anurag Kaushik, a resident of Laxmi Garden.

Areas where citizens have shared their grievances are Gurgaon village, Sector-46, Sector 9-A, Jawahar Nagar, Sheetla Colony, Sector-40, Shanti Nagar, Sector-43, Krishna Colony, Laxmi Garden, Palam Vihar, Patel Nagar Sector-48, Sushant Lok, South City and Khandsa.

Significantly, long power cuts in summer months are not new for residents in Gurugram, where most residents depend on themselves for back-up power supply.

Many residents have called out authorities for not being able to inform citizens of power cuts in time.

With more than 80 per cent of the city's Covid patients recovering at home, residents have openly criticised the apathy exhibited by Gurugram public agencies on the issue of long duration of power outages in the city.