Dibrugarh, Sept. 29: Citizens of Dibrugarh town, who are already beleaguered by a multitude of problems like waterlogging, potholed roads, overflowing drains and erratic traffic, have been left high and dry by frequent power cuts.

Power failure has become a regular phenomenon in the district headquarters putting the residents through severe inconveniences, making the students the worst sufferers who have to put up with the long hours without power.

These long power cuts from early morning have resulted in many households going without water.

With shortfall of nearly 25MW, the long unscheduled power cuts in domestic as well as commercial supply have virtually thrown lives out gear for the residents of this Upper Assam town.

The Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) has been regularly resorting to six to eight hours of power cuts in many areas like Santipara, New Market, Milannagar, KP Road, Convoy Road, Rupnagar, Chowkidinghee and Khalihamari.

People living on the outskirts and rural areas endure a complete “blackout” for days.

“We have got used to long power cuts ranging from 12 to 16 hours every day. It is no different in other rural areas,” said Ramesh Hazarika, a resident of Jokai village, which is around 15km from the town.

The senior manager of Dibrugarh electrical division, Dilip Kumar Saikia, said the town receives only 15MW of electricity against a requirement of 40MW.

“We have been facing a severe power crunch over the past couple of months of inadequate supply. We are hoping that the situation will improve soon,” he said.

The leap in population and growth of industrial units has increased the demand for electricity.

“The number of electricity consumers in Dibrugarh town now stands at 25,000 and is rising,” Saikia said.

An ASEB source said the total power production of Assam stands around 450MW per day against a requirement of more than 1,000MW.

The shortfall is met to some extent by purchasing power from different power generating agencies. But here, too, the paucity of funds prevents the electricity board from purchasing electricity according to requirement.

Significantly, Dibrugarh Electrical Circle contributes one of the highest amounts of revenue to the ASEB.

Every month Rs 3 crore is generated from Dibrugarh town alone, including its three subdivisions.

However, the power scenario leaves much to be desired.

The 33/11KV substation, built at a cost of Rs 7.96 crore in the Phulbagan area of the town, has also failed to mitigate the problem.

“The functioning of ASEB Dibrugarh has also been hit by shortage of skilled manpower and modern machinery,” the source said. Moreover, largescale power theft has made matters worse.