LUCKNOW, May 21 -- Repeated late-night outages, delayed fault repairs and growing public protests across several Lucknow localities have exposed an alleged manpower crisis in the city's power distribution system following the implementation of the new 'vertical system,' under which nearly 300 contractual workers were reportedly removed or sidelined. The restructuring of the electricity distribution network has allegedly weakened the emergency response mechanism of Lucknow Electricity Supply Administration (LESA) at a time when power demand is soaring during peak summer. According to Devendra Pandey, general secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Samvida Nivida Karmchari Sangh, the impact is most visible during night hours when multiple faults occur simultaneously but there are not enough repair teams available. "Earlier, at least three repair teams remained active at night. Today, only one gang is available in many areas. If several faults occur together, consumers are forced to wait for hours," he said. Before the restructuring, each feeder at substations had a dedicated team comprising one lineman and two helpers. In cases of simultaneous breakdowns, multiple teams could immediately begin restoration work. Under the new arrangement, several feeders now depend on a single repair gang, slowing response time across many parts of the city. The impact is increasingly visible on the ground. Residents in areas including Faizullahganj, RDSO, Kesrikhera, Mohanlalganj, Radhagram, Chander Nagar and Alambagh have staged protests over repeated outages, transformer failures and delayed restoration work. Officials within the department privately admitted that the system is under severe strain. "Earlier, two or more teams handled night complaints. Now one is expected to manage multiple feeders. Naturally, restoration time has gone up," a senior engineer said on condition of anonymity. Sources within the department alleged that the restructuring was largely aimed at reducing operational expenditure. A single repair team reportedly cost around Rs 36,000 per month, including salaries of one lineman and two helpers. Officials, however, said the 'vertical system' has also introduced consumer-focused digital services. Under the new arrangement, consumers receive electricity-related information directly on their registered mobile phones, including outage alerts, load enhancement guidance and complaint registration details immediately after issues are lodged through the toll-free helpline 1912. Shailendra Dubey, chairman of the All India Power Engineers Federation, said the shortcomings of the 'vertical system' are now becoming visible. "With demand peaking in summer and manpower shrinking, junior engineers and field staff are struggling to handle mounting complaints. The system is under tremendous pressure," he said....