Half of Ludhiana sinks into darkness

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, June 11

The thunderstorm wreaked havoc on the power distribution system in the city uprooting electric poles in many localities and brought down a 220 kV HT line tower near Ladhowal. Many parts of the city plunged into darkness for four to six hours. Power which went off at around 7.00 pm remained disrupted in nearly half of the city with 35 to 40 per cent feeders remaining shut down and restoration of supply commencing after 10.00 pm.

According to Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) officials, several trees were uprooted in the PAU complex, Sarabha Nagar, Civil Lines (Near Sutlej Club), Haibowal and Jamalpur localities which brought down 11 kV and LT cables at many places, plunging the city in darkness for several hours. Only saving grace, even though temporary, was that the weather had turned a bit pleasant from the extremely hot and humid conditions.

Reports said some jhuggis on Tajpur Road were damaged during the thunderstorm where five persons sustained injuries and one person had died. However, the loss of human life was not confirmed by authorities till now.

While PSPCL officials claimed that power had been restored at most of the places affected by bad weather, residents of many colonies, including Smart City Colony near Jwala Singh Chowk in Haibowal, Sector 32 on Ludhiana-Chandigarh Road and some more areas in Haibowal, asserted that supply was still disrupted in their colonies.

It was also learnt that power supply was again cut off in the morning in some localities as the maintenance and transmission line staff had taken a shut down for couple of hours to repair a fallen 220 kV HT line tower near Mega Food Park in Ladhowal.

Despite tall claims by the PSPCL authorities of having strengthened the power distribution system with laying new 11 kV lines, setting up more 66 and 220 kV sub stations and under-loading of distribution transformers across the city, most people in residential areas termed the distribution network of power utility as ‘vulnerable’ to the vagaries of weather.

“A lot more needs to be done to ramp up electricity distribution system in the designated Smart City,” quipped a resident of Sarbha Nagar.