If homemakers sulked and industries complained as several parts of the state, including Ranchi, reeled under 5-10 hours of power cuts for the past two days, here's hope.

Rahul Purwar, managing director of Jharkhand Bijli Vitaran Nigam Limited, on Wednesday said supply was falling short of demand, but they were making earnest efforts to bridge the gap.

"The two units at TVNL in Lalpania (Bokaro) were shut for repairs. They together contribute 420MW to the state. To make matters worse, only one unit of the hydel power plant in Sikidiri (Ranchi) is currently operational owing to plunging dam water level. Against an installed capacity of 130MW, we are getting only 50MW," Purwar said.

Each TVNL unit has an installed capacity of 210MW. The last time maintenance was done on one of the units was in 2008. "This unit will remain shut for 60 days. Another unit, which was shut down two days ago for emergency repairs, is now ready to be lit up," said Ram Awtar Sahu, managing director of TVNL.

Minni Sinha of Shivpuri, Ranchi, hoped for succour. "Every day, people are getting stuck in elevators at our apartment. Worse, frequent power cuts are destroying vegetables in the fridge," she said.

In a related development, Jharkhand Urja Vikas Nigam Limited on Wednesday lodged a police complaint against BJP leader Mukesh Mukta who led a mob into the Harmu power substation on Tuesday night and misbehaved with staff over erratic power supply.