Massive Power Outage Disrupts Life Across Lucknow Many parts of Lucknow experienced a severe electricity crisis, which left locals irate as protracted power outages interfered with day-to-day activities in the sweltering summer heat.The worst-affected locality was Dubagga, where electricity remained unavailable for nearly 20 hours, forcing angry residents to protest outside the local power substation late Friday evening. The city's power infrastructure was under increasing strain as a result of the frequent outages brought on by transformer failures, cable damage, and technical issues.Hundreds of families spent sleepless nights struggling without electricity, fans, or cooling systems in the unbearable heat. Residents Stage Protest at Dubagga Power Substation Tension escalated in the colony near Laxmi Hospital under the Jehta feeder of Dubagga after electricity supply remained disrupted from Thursday night till Friday evening. Residents claimed repeated complaints to the electricity department went unanswered for hours. Fed up with the situation, local people gathered at the Dubagga power substation around 8:30 PM and raised slogans against the electricity department. Protesters accused officials of negligence and poor emergency response during peak summer conditions. According to residents, the crisis began after a dumper vehicle allegedly rammed into an electric pole late Thursday night. Two poles were reportedly damaged in the collision, and a transformer that was positioned above them collapsed, completely cutting off the local power supply. Locals further claimed that the junior engineer's phone was unreachable for several hours and that no senior officer visited the impacted site despite repeated calls. Electricity Department Gives Different Explanation The electricity department, however, denied claims of an accident-related breakdown. According to Junior Engineer Rishi Goswami, a 63 KVA transformer installed in the colony had a technical issue that resulted in the disruption. He said maintenance teams were immediately deployed and repair work continued throughout the day to restore electricity supply. Despite the clarification, residents remained unhappy and demanded better infrastructure and quicker response during emergencies. Monkey Menace Triggers Power Failure in Aminabad In another unusual incident, monkey activity disrupted electricity supply in Nazirabad under the Aminabad substation for nearly two hours on Friday evening. Local vendors claim that the fault, which resulted in an abrupt power outage at 7:30 PM, was caused by monkeys jumping across electric wires and equipment Electricity supply could not be restored until nearly 9:30 PM, forcing several shopkeepers to shut their businesses early. Trader leader Suresh Chablani criticized the electricity department for delayed action and lack of communication. Executive Engineer Dharmendra Saxena later admitted that senior officials were not informed about the disruption on time. 500 Families Spend Sleepless Night Due to Cable Fault The Noorbari substation area also witnessed major disruption after an underground cable reportedly caught fire late Thursday night. Residents of Matadeen Road and nearby colonies said electricity supply went off around 1:30 AM, leaving nearly 500 families without power for hours. People struggled through the humid night as electricity was restored only around 4 AM, according to residents. Many consumers claimed they personally visited the substation seeking help, but no immediate response was provided. SDO Gulrez Ali, however, maintained that the interruption lasted only 15 minutes and the damaged cable was repaired quickly. Technical Faults Reported in Several Localities Apart from Dubagga, Aminabad, and Noorbari, several other areas of Lucknow also reported electricity problems. A breakdown in the Mishrpur feeder under the GPRA substation disrupted supply for nearly an hour. Similarly, a fault in the ABC line near Pratibha Motors under the Jankipuram Garden feeder affected nearby neighborhoods. During inspections, officials also discovered a broken 11 KV wire near a transformer in Shivpuri Colony. In Alkapuri, maintenance work at a transformer located behind Gayatri Temple caused electricity shutdowns for nearly one-and-a-half hours in surrounding areas. Growing Concerns Over Lucknow’s Power Infrastructure The continuous power failures across Lucknow have once again raised serious questions over the condition of the city’s electricity infrastructure. Residents say frequent breakdowns, delayed repairs, and lack of communication from officials are making life difficult during the peak summer season. With temperatures remaining high and humidity increasing, citizens are demanding immediate upgrades in transformers, cables, and emergency response systems to prevent such large-scale outages in the future.....