Delhi power cuts in western and eastern Uttam Nagar are forcing residents to choose between keeping their homes dark and opening doors to polluted outdoor air during the winter and festive season, according to a report by Jagran. Residents said the unannounced outages have continued across several neighbourhoods, disrupting household work, children’s studies and the schedules of people who commute for employment.
Residents told Jagran that electricity is typically unavailable for around two hours at a time, although the duration and timing are not fixed. On Dhanteras, supply was reportedly interrupted for nearly two hours in the Daal Mill Road area of Uttam Nagar. Residents of Jain Colony Part One, Sunday Market, Som Market, Wednesday Market and adjoining areas also reported repeated outages.
The report said power was unavailable for about 40 minutes on a Thursday morning and for nearly one-and-a-half hours on the day of Chhoti Diwali. Because the outages are not announced in advance, residents said they are unable to plan household activities or make arrangements for children studying at home and family members preparing for work.
The disruption has become more difficult during Delhi’s pollution season. Residents said homes need to remain closed as much as possible when outdoor air quality is poor, but power cuts leave some houses dark and without functioning fans or other electrical equipment. Opening doors for light and ventilation, they said, raises concern that polluted air will enter indoor spaces.
The outages have also altered household spending during the festive period. Instead of limiting Dhanteras purchases to traditional items such as utensils or precious metals, some families said they had to spend on inverters and power-backup equipment. Santosh Thakur, a resident of Jain Colony Part One, said families had begun treating inverters as a necessity before buying other festive goods. Residents said that while summer outages were difficult, two- to three-hour interruptions during the festive season had created additional hardship.
Suleखा Devi of Sunday Market said repeated power cuts were affecting daily work, children’s education and the ability of people to leave for their jobs on time. The report also quoted a statement that efforts were being made to minimise inconvenience and that maintenance-related work was generally avoided during festivals. It did not identify the electricity distribution company or provide a technical explanation for the outages.
The Uttam Nagar reports highlight how unreliable electricity supply can compound the effects of an already difficult urban condition. A power interruption in a neighbourhood is not limited to the loss of lighting: it can affect study time, work routines, household ventilation decisions and the ability of residents to keep indoor spaces comfortable. The report did not specify a restoration schedule, a cause for the repeated interruptions or a formal complaint-resolution timeline.
