Residents across parts of Bikaner, Jodhpur, and Jaisalmer in western Rajasthan are facing severe power outages as temperatures climb, leaving them without cooling during peak afternoon and night hours. Frequent power cuts and repeated line trips have disrupted electricity supply, causing sleepless nights, interrupted water supply, and difficulty running coolers and fans.
Residents Protest in Jaisalmer
In Jaisalmer, residents reported that tripping incidents were repeatedly disrupting daily life. On Monday, people from Laxmichand Sawal Colony staged a sit-in at the local office of Jodhpur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (JDVVNL), with women and elderly residents among those protesting. Similar complaints have also been reported from parts of Jaipur.
Bikaner Resident Recalls Long Outage
In Bikaner’s Vaidya Mangaram Colony, a resident said power went out around 11 pm on Sunday and was restored only at about 3:30 am after repeated calls to authorities. She said a complaint was registered in the name of Sunder Lal.
Officials Blame Demand Spike
Power officials blamed the outages on a spike in demand that strained local distribution networks. However, power sector sources said the issue was not a shortage of electricity but weak distribution management. They noted that some solar plants have been asked to cut output due to excess supply, indicating that the problem lies in distribution rather than generation.
Urban Expansion Outpaces Infrastructure
Experts said rapid urban expansion has pushed demand up in areas once considered outskirts, while substation capacity upgrades have not kept pace. This mismatch has left many areas vulnerable to outages during peak demand periods.
As temperatures continue to rise, residents are calling for urgent action to upgrade distribution networks and ensure reliable power supply.
