Gurgaon and electricity woes

I write a weekly column on Gurgaon for a tabloid newspaper called MetroNow, which is a joint collaboration of the Times of India and Hindustan Times. The column is called Mera Gurgaon Mera Desh and I thought I may as well start putting my columns here.
So here's the latest one which appeared on Sep 13:

My mom-in-law’s inverter packed up at three in the afternoon. There’s been a non-stop power cut since morning. Yesterday was bad too. And at this time of the year this behaviour by the electricity department is a bit inexplicable. In peak summer, this is the norm, but in September?
Individual house owners then – as opposed to those who live in condos – have no choice but to take matters into their own hands. This is exactly what my block is doing. In a first-of-its-kind initiative, my block is installing power back-up in the houses in G block. After several circulars, we have now received a final letter which says the cost will be Rs 60,000 per house for the installation. After that there is a fixed monthly cost of Rs 1,000 per month if you opt for a 5 KVA connection or Rs 2,000 per month if you opt for a 10 KVA connection. This apart there is a variable cost; when the power back up is on you will pay Rs 9 per unit (as opposed to approximately Rs 4.50 paise per unit when you have regular supply) keeping the current cost of diesel in mind. Your bill will of course depend on your usage since each connection comes with an individual meter. There is an interesting clause here; if you do not subscribe in the first round, the next lot of connections will be available at Rs 90,000. I quote, “This is necessary for rewarding the founding members for taking the initiative and greater risk in kickstarting the venture.”
My block is also in the process of forming a registered society for just the residents of the block (different from the RWA which encompasses the entire DLF). You can enroll by paying Rs 1,000. With power back-up as a first step, the society then plans to tackle other issues such as security, access control, road signage, beautification of the block and earmarking a space for children and elders. These have pretty much been the issues I have had to contend with as a resident here. While DLF was taking care of these aspects in its new condos, where residents were paying a fixed maintenance and getting most of these benefits, it is only now that owners of plotted land are using the same technique to make their lives better. It is a gigantic effort to get residents of individual houses together and to plan a venture on this scale, but if they can pull it off, this will indeed be a model for other blocks in Gurgaon and elsewhere to follow. After all, why should everyone who likes to live in a house have to give it up and go live in a flat because we can’t get ourselves together for a common cause? What is also remarkable is the speed at which this whole venture has been planned and executed – just three odd months.
I want to applaud this initiative. This will have several repercussions. For one, it may help to subvert the rather warped property rates in Gurgaon where condos fetch a much higher price than houses. In most countries, houses command a premium over condos of which there is a glut. Rentals will also see a change because people who wanted to live in houses but stayed away -- not everyone fancies a 19th floor flat where waiting for the lift is a collective pastime -- will now willingly lease floors or houses. Most importantly, older people who are finding it monetary difficult to cope with maintaining houses and the constant water and power problems, will find their own lives improving and will also be able to generate additional income by letting out a floor.
One single initiative can do so much. Let’s hope it works.