LUCKNOW, June 16 -- Widespread power outages across Lucknow on Saturday and Sunday left residents in the dark as a sharp rise in electricity demand and multiple rain-induced faults hit the city's power supply network. With the demand touching nearly 1,960 MW, pressure mounted on key substations, leading to failures and prolonged restoration delays. The disruption began around 11 pm on Saturday in the Amausi Zone when the new feeder connected to the Uttretia New Power Substation broke down. Teams led by chief engineer Rajat Juneja and SES-I executive engineer worked through the night, but electricity in affected areas such as SGPGIMS, South City, Alambagh, New Alambagh, and Ashiana was restored only by 8:30 am. Several feeders across the city buckled under the load. The 11kV ASTI Feeder suffered from overloading on power transformer no 2, resulting in outages across Ahladpur, Krishna Vihar Colony, Kamlabad, and Triveni Nagar. Transformers under the Sewa Feeder remained non-functional through the night, adding to the disruptions. In Mahanagar, the Karamat Feeder reported an earth fault around 5:30 am on Sunday, disrupting power to Karamat Market and Old Mahanagar Sector A. It took nearly five hours to restore the supply. In Jankipuram Extension, the DPS Feeder broke down during overnight rain, while at Ahibranpur, a 33kV line tripped due to storms. Kapoorthala faced an overnight blackout after a 33kV line fault, with restoration delayed until morning. In the LDA Market area, two 1000 kVA underground cables under the Railway Power House developed faults at 11:35 pm on Saturday, causing outages around Alambagh Metro and Sardarikheda. A cable linked to the Madhuban Vihar transformer at Uttretia Substation also caught fire, cutting electricity for over three hours. Around midnight, chief engineer VP Singh visited the GSI Power Substation and Keshav Nagar, where a major fault in Incomer-2's substation affected feeders supplying Tadi Khana, SBI, SRY2, and Bataha Sabauli. The issue was fixed within two hours. In another incident, a 5 MVA transformer at Raitha Substation was overloaded, leading to rotational outages in Kamlabad, Badauli, and Tariya villages. Power workers also faced resistance during disconnection drives. In Vaidik Garden, outsourced Lucknow Electricity Supply Administration (LESA) workers were allegedly attacked by locals after cutting illegal connections in a slum area. A police complaint has been filed. Late-night inspections continued across the city. Superintending engineer and executive engineer AK Shukla visited Priyadarshini Nagar and Faizullaganj substations at 1:30 am on Sunday. Chief engineer VP Singh later held a review meeting in Keshav Nagar at 2 am. Chief engineer Rajat Juneja said LESA teams worked around the clock despite harsh weather. "The recent outages were triggered by an unprecedented surge in power demand. I remained at the Amausi Substation during the night. However, rainfall and storms significantly hamper maintenance and delay restoration." Amid the outages, residents voiced frustration over the lack of updates. VS Yadav, a senior citizen from Saraswati Puram near PGI, said, "These night-time power cuts feel like punishment. The most frustrating part is that no one at the substation answers the phone. Power supply should be consumer-friendly, people deserve to know why the electricity is snapped and when it will be restored....