Gurgaon: Around 6.30am on Thursday, residents of Tulip Ivory in Sector 69 woke up to a power outage. Hours passed, but the electricity supply was not restored.By afternoon, lifts, water supply systems, security infrastructure and common area services in the society were running entirely on diesel generators. As outage stretched beyond eight hours, the RWA’s concern was no longer the power cut itself but the fuel being burnt to keep the society functioning.“Around 200 litres of diesel was consumed within two hours, and even whatever we had in store is nearly over. When we asked for diesel, the vendor told us about the capping,” said Ajay Pal Singh, RWA president of Tulip Ivory. The power supply was restored more than 12 hours later, around 7.15pm and around 1,400 litres of diesel was used.Condominiums are bulk consumers of diesel because power outages are frequent across the NCR, especially in summer, when old feeders cannot match rising loads and lines within societies become prone to faults. Residents said Thursday’s outage was triggered when a damaged jumper led to the burnout of a vacuum circuit breaker.For thousands of residents, electricity is about far more than lighting and air conditioning. High-rise societies depend on continuous power for sewage treatment plants, security networks, fire-safety equipment and access-control systems. When grid power fails, diesel generators effectively become the backbone of the society.“We have already requested residents to use electricity judiciously during power outages and reduce non-essential consumption. However, there is a limit to how much demand can be curtailed. Lifts, security systems and common-area services cannot simply be switched off. The real challenge arises when power cuts are prolonged. If an outage lasts eight to 10 hours, how can societies repeatedly ask residents to manage with reduced services while also dealing with restrictions on diesel procurement? The burden ultimately falls on residents, who are already facing discomfort during the peak summer season,” Singh said.The timing could hardly have been worse. On June 12, the Centre issued the Motor Spirit and High-Speed Diesel (Temporary Regulation of Supply through Retail Outlets) Order, 2026, capping retail diesel sales at 200 litres per vehicle or customer per day and barring bulk consumers from buying fuel at retail pumps. The 90-day order was prompted by escalating supply concerns linked to the US-Israel conflict with Iran, and was meant to prevent hoarding and protect fuel availability. For housing societies that lean on diesel generators during outages, however, it has triggered fresh anxiety, with some estate offices and management teams already issuing advisories warning residents of the potential fallout.Most societies buy diesel from retail pumps. Bulk-purchase outlets exist separately, but charge about Rs 30 more per litre, and the nearest one serving Gurgaon is in Delhi or Rohtak, adding further logistical cost.RWAs argue the govt’s order overlooks operational realities on the ground. “Even when running without load, a generator can consume 30-40 litres of diesel per hour, and consumption rises to 50-70 litres under load. In our society, a one-hour power outage typically results in diesel consumption of around 190 litres. Most suppliers also do not deliver small quantities; a tanker usually carries about 1,000 litres or more. So far this month, we have procured nearly 6,000 litres of diesel and already consumed over 3,500 litres,” said Praveen Malik, president of the Rising Homes RWA. He added that his society, spread across 48 towers with 48 lifts and extensive common infrastructure, depends on uninterrupted power to function.The scale of consumption in larger societies illustrates the stakes. In a high-rise complex with more than 1,000 flats, a 30-minute outage can mean burning through 150-200 litres of diesel to run a genset; an hour-long cut can push consumption to 300-400 litres; and a two-hour outage can drive it as high as 800 litres.For many RWAs, the immediate worry is not scarcity but preparedness. At BPTP Astaire Gardens, residents have already been asked to cut electricity use during backup periods so that available diesel stretches further. The society runs three generators, with capacities of 1,500 kVA, 1,000 kVA and 300 kVA.“The district administration should intervene so that housing societies do not face problems while procuring the basic essential commodities. Power backup is not a luxury for societies anymore,” said Jaswant Rao, president of the society’s RWA.Even societies with built-in storage infrastructure are not immune; RWA office-bearers say a single extended outage can deplete those reserves quickly, exposing how dependent these systems are on regular fuel replenishment.At G21, the society currently stores nearly 9,000 litres of diesel as part of its contingency planning. “Our generators consume roughly 140 litres every hour when operational,” said RWA president Pradip Rahi. “The issue is not storage capacity. We have systems to replenish fuel whenever stocks decline. The concern is whether replenishment can happen smoothly if outages continue and procurement restrictions remain in place.”According to Rahi, the society has witnessed nearly 30 hours of power outages over the past two weeks due to faults in cables and distribution infrastructure.
