State Directives Issued for Festive Season

As the festive season approaches, the Uttar Pradesh government has ramped up administrative and operational preparations to guarantee an uninterrupted 24-hour power supply across the state. The directive specifically covers major festivals, including Diwali and Chhath, aiming to prevent any disruptions during community celebrations.

Urban Development and Energy Minister Arvind Kumar Sharma convened a high-level review with electricity department officials, emphasizing that frequent power cuts and avoidable shutdowns will not be tolerated under any circumstances.

"Diwali is the festival of lights, and uninterrupted power supply must be ensured during the festive season," Minister Sharma stated during the review.

Relief for Small Consumers and Disconnection Guidelines

Addressing consumer grievances, the energy department has issued strict protocols regarding pending utility bills. Officials have been explicitly directed not to disconnect electricity connections of regular consumers over dues during the festive period.

While large-scale, organized power theft will face stringent legal action, authorities have been cautioned against harassing small-scale residential consumers. Furthermore, the minister emphasized that consumers who consistently clear their bills should not face tripping or power outages caused by neighboring areas with outstanding arrears.

Infrastructure Upgrades and Portal Clearances

To address systemic delays, the government has called for the expedited clearance of pending electricity connection applications via the official Jhatpat portal. Officials are also mandated to audit rejected applications to identify administrative bottlenecks.

To meet heightened energy demands, instructions have been issued to immediately scale up transformer capacities wherever local loads require reinforcement. Special focus is also being directed toward newly established urban local bodies and nagar panchayats, ensuring their power infrastructure matches the reliability standards of major urban headquarters. The Urban Development Department has assured additional funding support to strengthen last-mile distribution networks across these developing areas.