Mohali, Sept. 7 -- A power outage lasting more than 12 hours across Phases 1 to 6 on Sunday disrupted normal life, with students preparing for mid-term examinations, senior citizens and residents with health issues among those affected amid the rising heat and humidity levels. The prolonged outage came on a weekend when most families were at home, making it difficult for students to study and residents to carry out routine household work without fans and coolers. Residents also said the outage affected basic needs such as charging mobile phones, while inverter backups ran out after several hours. Residents said they were informed that maintenance work was being carried out to upgrade the power infrastructure. While they did not oppose the need for maintenance, they questioned the decision to undertake such a prolonged shutdown on a Sunday, when the impact on households was likely to be greater. Parents said the heat disrupted students' study schedules ahead of their mid-term examinations and made it difficult for them to concentrate for long without coolingappliances. They said advance information about the expected duration of the shutdown would have allowed families to plan their day and arrange adequate backup. Residents pointed out that Mohali is being developed as an IT city and said prolonged power cuts undermine the convenience expected in a modern urban centre. They urged authorities to schedule major maintenance work at timings that cause minimum inconvenience and provide clear information about prolonged outages in advance. They also questioned claims of 24-hour power supply, saying reliability should remain a priority even as the power infrastructure is upgraded....