HYDERABAD, May 1: Summer is exposing the fragility of the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company’s distribution system because of major faults taking place on daily-basis, leaving consumers high and dry.

People are apprehensive as this is just the beginning of hot weather what to say of the coming months when power consumption will reach maximum. Unscheduled outages are forcing people, including businessmen to take to streets and this may create law and order situation.

Few days ago Hesco’s Qasimabad grid station developed a fault in its red phase closing down five feeders, said an official adding a big area thus was affected.

On Wednesday, Hala Road grid station developed a similar fault at 4.10pm which could not be rectified by 8.30pm resulting in power disruption at Hirabad, Market Tower, HAD and Firdous Colony feeders.

One can gauge the magnitude of the problem by calculating the number of consumers being affected if one grid station develops a fault. Normally one feeder caters to 5,000 to 6,000 connections. People dealing in foodstuff like wheat, ice and other consumer items are compelled to use generators, an additional burden along with the monthly inflated electricity bills.

The Hesco spokesman says the company is facing shortfall of 300-400MW against the normal demand of 1400MW. Defending power failures, he adds, the increasing load often crosses the red phase limit where a grid station trips. However, nothing could convince poor consumers who face the brunt regularly.

Power shuts are testing nerves of students as secondary level examinations have started with primary and middle level examinations some weeks away. The students are neither able to study properly nor sleep soundly due to the hide-and-seek of electricity.

It adds to consumers’ wounds to find telephone lines of Hesco offices constantly busy during the period supply is suspended. This leads to ransacking of Hesco offices.

On Wednesday also, irate consumers burnt tyres, blocked Phulelli Bridge and Cloth Market road in separate incidents. They raised slogans against the inefficiency of the Hesco authorities. Phulelli Bridge was blocked by hundreds of owners of around 600 power-looms. They say thousands depend on this business directly or indirectly. Daily wagers are the biggest losers as they are paid per production of cloth and working of power-looms. If machines are not working their wages are cut accordingly. “We are not against load-shedding but want Hesco to fix a schedule so that we can adjust work timings,” says a loom owner Khalid Ansari.

The agitating owners say their business is being badly affected as they fail to meet deadlines of orders. They said they regularly take up the issue with the executive engineer and SDO of Ilyasabas sub-division for resolution of their problem but neither is inclined to give them a patient hearing. Power outage in their area is for longer duration and at times increased further on maintenance plea.

Meanwhile, one person working on an electricity pole in the Shamdas Park area received serious burn injured when power was restored.