Rain woes: Power utility gets 3,800 complaints in last 24 hours in Amritsar

Tribune News Service

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Amritsar, September 11

Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) registered 3,800 complaints during the last 24 hours as continuous rain and lightning largely affected the power supply network in the city.

Residents of several localities faced inconvenience as PSPCL failed to restore power supply even after 12 hours. As the downpour continued for the second consecutive day today (on Saturday), PSPCL employees faced inconvenience while repairing power supply lines.

Power supply was hit at around 9 am on Friday and it was restored on 1.30 pm Saturday. A 16-hour power cut is horrible. It is inefficiency of the PSPCL that they took so long to restore power supply. Jatinder Singh, New Amritsar resident

Senior officials of PSPCL stated that lightning along with rain affected power transmission in the area. “The main reason behind the disruption of power supply is lightning during rain. Lightning activity damaged 10 power transformers in the city. It is not easy to replace the transformer on the spot. We have received most complaints from those areas where transformers failed due to lightning,” said Ashwani Mehta, Deputy Chief Engineer, PSPCL, Border Zone, Amritsar.

“It is lightning which causes more damage to them than rain or winds. In case of any loose connection, lightning burn the joints. Moreover, the shrubs and trees grown around supply lines also cause breakage of lines and failure of transmission,” said a junior engineer. PSPCL employees claimed that they had addressed 3,500 out of 3,800 complaints and restored the power supply in most areas.

The main reason behind the disruption of power supply is lightning during rain. Lightning damaged 10 power transformers in the city. It is not easy to replace transformer on the spot. We have received most complaints from those areas where transformers failed due to lightning. Ashwani Mehta, Deputy Chief Engineer, PSPCL, Border Zone, Amritsar

“There are around 300 complaints which are yet to be addressed. Our teams are working on supply lines and power would be restored in each locality of the city soon,” said Mehta. Jatinder Singh, a resident of New Amritsar, said, “Power supply was hit at around 9 am on Friday and it was restored on 1.30 pm Saturday. A 16-hour power cut is horrible. It is inefficiency of PSPCL that they took so long to restore power supply.”

Jallianwala Bagh turns into a swimming pool after first rain

Amritsar: The descendants of freedom fighters led by Kuldeep Singh Brar, national president, All-India Freedom Fighters’ Family Group, staged a demonstration against the Centre by standing in rainwater accumulated at Jallianwala Bagh, a recently renovated national monument, here on Saturday. Irked over waterlogging at the historic Jallianwala Bagh, Brar alleged that the government spent Rs20 crore to ruin the garden, which was far better before restoration. He said the restoration was an attempt to damage the historical importance of the garden and the families of freedom fighters would not allow them to temper with history. “First rain after the restoration has exposed the tall claims of the government. More than 3-feet water accumulated at the historical garden. It is shameful and disgrace to the martyrs,” said Brar. TNS