Surat Power Cuts Scrapped Ahead of Diwali Production

Industries in Surat and across South Gujarat will no longer face the weekly eight-hour power staggering announced by the Gujarat government, after objections from industrial stakeholders led to the withdrawal of the measure. Dakshin Gujarat Vij Company Ltd (DGVCL) has been instructed not to enforce the scheduled 4pm-to-midnight power cut on one day each week.

The rollback came a week after the staggering plan was introduced. DGVCL officials said the utility had received communication from the government directing it to discontinue the arrangement. A senior DGVCL official said the weekly restriction had been announced after considering multiple factors, but the latest instructions indicated that it was no longer required.

Under the withdrawn arrangement, factories were to experience an eight-hour interruption from 4pm to midnight on a fixed day every week. The timing became a major concern for industrial units because the evening shift is considered an important production window for several manufacturing segments in the region.