As large parts of Gurugram reeled under hours-long power cuts through the week, Friday night pushed the city to a breaking point. In dramatic scenes that quickly went viral on social media, stranded commuters were seen walking along the elevated Rapid Metro tracks after services came to a halt following a major power outage triggered by a fire at a 220-KV power station in Sector 72.

The blackout, which struck around 8 pm on Friday, plunged several parts of the Millennium City into chaos. Metro trains stopped mid-service, residential societies were left in darkness, and frustrated residents battled the sweltering summer heat without fans, water pumps, or ventilation.

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Videos circulating online showed anxious passengers stepping out and walking on the metro tracks under dim emergency lighting, capturing the scale of disruption caused by the power failure.

While officials later restored electricity and resumed metro operations, the incident exposed the mounting pressure on Gurugram’s fragile power infrastructure amid soaring electricity demand.

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“Rapid Metro services were impacted for around 25 minutes due to the fire. Power supply was gradually restored later in the night and the situation is normal now,” DHBVN spokesperson Sanjay Chugh told The Indian Express.

Residents say long power cuts have become routine

But for many residents, Friday’s blackout was only the latest in a string of prolonged outages that have disrupted daily life across Gurugram over the past several days.

At ATS Tourmaline in Sector 109 near Dwarka Expressway, residents described nights spent without electricity for hours. “A major fault at the main switching station caused complete outages across several towers. Families, senior citizens, and infants were left struggling without fans or ventilation past midnight,” resident Mukul Uppal told IE.

Official data claims nearly 24-hour power supply

The widespread frustration stands in sharp contrast to official supply data released by Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN), which paints a picture of near-uninterrupted electricity across Gurugram . 

According to DHBVN logs for May 20, urban feeders in Gurugram -I and Gurugram -II reportedly received between 23 hours 37 minutes and 23 hours 55 minutes of power supply against a scheduled 24-hour cycle.

The Gurugram -I circle covers areas such as Old Gurugram, Udyog Vihar, IMT Manesar, Basai, and Pataudi, while Gurugram -II includes DLF phases, Golf Course Road, Sohna Road, Sushant Lok, South City, and newer residential sectors.

What is causing Gurugram’s growing power problem?

Despite the official figures showing only marginal supply gaps, residents across multiple societies continue to report long and repeated outages, suggesting local distribution infrastructure is failing under pressure, the IE reported.

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The crisis comes as Gurugram’s electricity demand continues to climb sharply year after year. On May 20 alone, the city’s two power circles consumed a massive 508.52 lakh units of electricity in a single day.

Gurugram -II – home to the city’s high-rise residential clusters and commercial hubs – emerged as the heaviest load centre, consuming 315.14 lakh units, driven largely by soaring domestic demand during the intense summer heat.