What to do during a power cut in India: a safe checklist
A practical checklist to distinguish a home fault from an area outage, protect people and appliances, and contact the right utility channel.
First, look for a hazard—not a switch to operate
If you see smoke, sparks, a fallen wire, flooding near electrical equipment, or anyone receiving a shock, stay away. Do not touch a wire, pole, meter cabinet or person in contact with live equipment. Keep other people back and contact emergency services and the electricity utility.
For immediate danger in India, call 112. For an electricity supply complaint, 1912 is the national short code allocated for electricity complaints; availability and routing can depend on the local DISCOM. Use the number printed on your bill if 1912 does not connect.
Check whether the interruption is inside your home
If there is no visible hazard, look from a safe place at nearby homes or common-area lights. If several homes are dark, an area interruption is more likely. If only your home is affected, check whether the main breaker has tripped only if it is dry, undamaged and safely accessible. Do not remove covers or handle exposed conductors.
A dark street does not prove a feeder outage, and a lit neighbour’s home does not rule one out: buildings may be on different phases or circuits. Treat observations as clues rather than a diagnosis.
Protect sensitive equipment
Turn off high-load appliances such as heaters, pumps and air conditioners. Consider unplugging sensitive electronics if the supply is unstable. Leave one light switched on so you can tell when power returns, and avoid repeatedly resetting a breaker that trips again.
Use a torch rather than a candle near fuel, curtains or gas appliances. Run a portable generator outdoors, away from doors, windows and vents. Never run it in a home, garage or enclosed balcony because exhaust can contain deadly carbon monoxide.
Contact your DISCOM and keep the complaint number
Call 1912 or use the official app or website listed on your electricity bill. Share the consumer number and exact location requested by the utility, and ask for a complaint or docket number. A crowd-sourced map can help neighbours compare reports, but it is not a DISCOM control room and cannot dispatch a repair crew.
If a service complaint remains unresolved, the Ministry of Power’s Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules provide for consumer grievance redressal forums. Check your state commission and DISCOM for the current filing process and applicable timelines.
Use community reports with care
A report from a neighbour means someone observed an interruption; it is not an official cause or restoration estimate. Lack of reports does not confirm supply. Add a report only when you have observed the state yourself and update it when power returns.
This site collects pincode-level community reports to give neighbours a shared view. It does not replace emergency help, the utility complaint channel or an electrician.
References
These guides give planning estimates and general safety practices, not engineering advice for a specific installation. Check appliance nameplates and manufacturer documentation, and use a qualified electrician for anything beyond a plug-in appliance.