Added Abhishek Mangal, a college student from Patiala, around 60 km from here: 'I do not understand why, when we are paying the same amount of tax as residents of other cities, there is a disparity when it comes to power distribution.'

Industry is unhappy too. 'The decision to impose a three-day compulsory power cut every week has come as a shock,' said Mohali Industries Association president B.S. Anand.

'Industry has to pay wages to workers, minimum electricity charges and there is the added pressure of VAT. How can we manage all these things if production falls because of insufficient power?' Anand asked IANS.

According to him around 1,200 units in the Mohali industrial area are on the verge of closure due to the non-availability of power.