According to industry sources, the situation has become unmanageable this summer. "The past week has been disastrous. Earlier, there used to be power-cuts but it had a definite time period. Hence, we were prepared for it. However, this year power supply has been erratic. It has been difficult managing a schedule. The bigger and medium-level enterprises have managed to continue production through power produced from generators but the smaller enterprises have had to face losses,'' said an association member.

According to the president of the association, Rakesh Katiyal, while the cost of a unit came to Rs 4.10 per unit without using the generator, the cost of producing the same unit has been more than double at Rs 9 per unit. "We need continuous power supply. But, the Uttar Pradesh State Electricity Board (UPSEB) has not been able to ensure us even that minimum supply,'' he said.

K G Puri, deputy area general manager of the UPSEB accepted the charges. "We are trying to arrange power according to the demands of the industry,'' he told Times City.

Sources said that most of the smaller units operate out of rented premises. "Our loses have mounted with the recession. A few of us who have stayed back have now decided to review our decision,'' said one of them.

The residents of Noida too are up in arms against the frequent cases. The worst affected sectors are 21,33,34,51 and 71. "The power cuts have become more frequent. There is no fixed time for these cuts. The situation has been especially bad in the past two weeks. We were initially trusting the invertors to do the job but now we have decided to buy a generator. Each time there is a power cut, the voltage has been extremely low. Now, as a result, my refrigerator and the AC has stopped working,'' said Prachi Sinha, a fashion designer and resident of sector 34.