LUCKNOW, May 13 -- Following repeated complaints of power outages from residents of the high-profile Mantri Awas area, LESA expedited a Rs.15-crore underground cabling project to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the Mantri Awas substation in Vibhuti Khand, Gomti Nagar. Officials on Tuesday completed the laying of a 9-km-long underground 33 KV cable from the Satrikh and the transmission substation. The Minister Awas substation, which supplies power to several VVIP areas and nearly 6,000 consumers, had reportedly relied for the last 11 years on "arranged" supply from other substations whenever its primary source failed. The new dedicated line will directly connect the Minister Awas substation with the Satrikh Transmission substation, providing it with an additional permanent power source. The substation supplies electricity to several prominent localities, including Vikalp Khand-3, Vikrant Khand, the Electricity Regulatory Commission office, Pollution Control Board offices, and ministerial residences. At present, the substation draws supply from the Malhaur/Malesemau transmission network. Gomti Nagar executive engineer Dheeraj Yadav said that once the new cable becomes operational, power can be restored from the Satrikh Transmission substation whenever the existing supply fails. Chief engineer Sushil Garg Garg said the alternative underground supply line is expected to be commissioned within the next 10 days. Even as the power department rushed to strengthen electricity infrastructure in VVIP areas of Gomti Nagar, large parts of outer Lucknow plunged into darkness on Monday evening after a fault in the Malihabad 33 KV line disrupted supply to hundreds of villages and localities. The fault occurred around 7pm in the 33 KV transmission line supplying power from the Rahimabad substation to Malihabad, leaving residents across dozens of villages and kasbas without electricity for several hours. Power supply was restored on Tuesday 10 am....