The story in residential areas is no better. Long, unscheduled power cuts have become a routine across the city. This, despite the fact that Haryana charges far more as tariff from it’s consumers than even Delhi. While Delhi consumers pay Rs 1.75/unit for the first 100 units, a Gurgaon consumer pays Rs 2.63/unit for the first 80 units. And even as the maximum rate for Delhi is Rs 3.85/unit for over 400 units, Gurgaon charges Rs 4.28/unit for over 600 units.

‘‘From July 3 onwards, a combined power-cut of 12 hours per day is being enforced in both residential and industrial areas,’’ said Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam’s superintending engineer V.P Kalra. ‘‘While a 10-hour cut is in place for industries from 7.30 pm to 5.30 am, a two-hour cut is being put on supply to residential areas,’’ he added.

HVPN officials say that it is for the first time in many years that such a cut has been imposed. What’s more, the Haryana government is learnt to have decided that industrial units having a load of 1 MW or above will not be supplied any power this week. Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitaran Nigam (DHBVN) officials say this will hit more than 20 big industrial units operating in Gurgaon City.

But the bad news for industries doesn’t end here. The government has further decided that those industries having a load below 1 MW will be subjected to two days of power cut in a week.

‘‘The government claims to supply industries with power from 5.30am-7.30 pm. But what about the system breakdowns that happen during this period leading to long cuts? Why are these breakdowns not compensated?’’ asks J.N Mangla, president of Gurgaon Industrial Association (GIA). ‘‘All the tall claims about Gurgaon being a No Power Cut Zone are hollow,’’ said Mangla.