UP Power Crisis Deepens: CM Yogi Adityanath Cracks Down on Officials as Electricity Demand Hits Record High
Lucknow: With Uttar Pradesh facing widespread public anger over frequent power cuts and supply disruptions amid scorching summer temperatures, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has adopted a strict stance against negligence in the power sector.
Following growing complaints from residents across several districts, the state government has begun taking strong disciplinary action against officials held responsible for lapses in electricity management.
In a major move on Saturday, action was initiated against four engineers of the Uttar Pradesh Transmission Corporation.
Two executive engineers were suspended, while a superintending engineer received a special adverse entry in his service record.
A chief engineer was also issued a formal warning over the incident.
According to Transmission Corporation Managing Director Mayur Maheshwari, the crisis began after a fitting failure on the 220 KV Muradnagar–Bapudham transmission line.
The technical fault led to a prolonged power outage at the Madhuban Bapudham substation, severely affecting electricity supply in the surrounding areas.
Officials allegedly failed to make timely alternative arrangements, which further worsened the situation and triggered public outrage.
As part of the disciplinary action, Executive Engineer Rahul from Ghaziabad and Executive Engineer Yogesh Kumar from Meerut have been suspended.
Superintending Engineer Ramanand has been given a “special adverse entry,” which will also be permanently recorded in his official service dossier. Chief Engineer Satyendra Singh has been warned for his role in the matter.
The action comes at a time when Uttar Pradesh is witnessing an unprecedented rise in electricity consumption due to intense heatwave conditions.
Officials said electricity demand remained at peak levels throughout Saturday as people relied heavily on air conditioners, coolers, and other appliances to cope with the rising temperatures.
Data released by the power department showed that the state recorded a maximum electricity demand of 30,475.95 megawatts during the afternoon, one of the highest levels seen this season.
Even during the early morning hours, demand remained significantly high, touching 24,400.26 megawatts at around 5:36 am.
The ongoing power crisis has become a major concern in both urban and rural areas, with residents complaining of unscheduled outages, low voltage, and poor infrastructure maintenance.
The state government’s latest action is being seen as a clear message that negligence in handling power supply issues during peak summer months will not be tolerated.
Officials have also indicated that monitoring of the electricity network has been intensified to prevent further disruptions as temperatures continue to soar across the state.
