LUCKNOW, April 28 -- Amid scorching heat conditions, prolonged power cuts in many city areas are disrupting business activity and daily life, triggering protests by traders and residents alike. Markets, including Aminabad, Yahiyaganj, Chowk, Alambagh, Indira Nagar, Bhootnath, Mahanagar and Jankipuram have been witnessing outages ranging from two to five hours daily, particularly during daytime and late-night hours. Suresh Chablani of Aminabad Vyapar Mandal said extreme heat coupled with erratic power supply has led to a sharp decline in footfall. "If a customer enters and finds the AC not working, they simply leave," he said. Amarnath Mishra of the Lucknow Udyog Vyapar Mandal alleged that areas such as Yahyaganj, Moulviganj and Rakabganj face routine outages of up to four hours daily. In Natkhera, Alambagh traders reported five consecutive days of outages lasting up to five hours due to cable faults and staged a protest at the Chander Nagar substation. The crisis has also gripped residential areas such as Sarojini Nagar, Rajajipuram and Chinhat, where frequent night-time outages have forced residents to remain awake. Consumers under the Sharda Nagar Extension substation, particularly those linked to Chandrawal feeder, reported erratic supply throughout Monday. Residents alleged repeated shutdowns at Radha Gram power house, with interruptions occurring every 30 minutes in some areas, while calls to the station reportedly went unanswered. Similar complaints emerged from areas served by the Nadarganj power house, including 3 Number Bagh and VIP Tiraha, where power supply remained disrupted between 3 pm and 8 pm. LESA officials attributed the outages to surge in demand beyond projections in commercial zones, adding that load management measures are being implemented. However, consumers blame poor infrastructure maintenance, citing damaged cables, overloaded transformers and delayed repairs. With outages also reported from Jankipuram, Sector 14 Indira Nagar, Para and Dubagga, residents say the ground reality contradicts official claims of improved power infrastructure, and warn of intensified protests if the situation does not improve....