Thunderstorm leaves woman dead, 7 injured in Panipat
A woman was killed and seven persons sustained injuries during a high intensity dusty thunderstorm which hit Panipat on Wednesday evening. Scores of electricity poles broke, trees got uprooted and electricity supply lines were damaged at many places leading to power shutdown in Panipat and Sonepat.
According to information, the intensity of the thunderstorm was much more in comparison to previous storms that lashed the region in the beginning of this month. Sheds of toll plaza on an elevated highway were damaged. A heavy tree fell on the Jatal road near 8 Marla Chowk in the city. An electric pole fell on a car at Chhajpur village leaving the vehicle damaged. The shuttering of an under construction factory building collapsed on the Kabri road here in the thunderstorm. Two persons riding on a Scooty near the building got trapped under the shuttering.
Fifty-four-year-old Geeta of Arjun Nagar died after an iron angle fell on her head, while her grandson Aakash sustained injuries. In all, seven people, including a woman sustained injuries, in five such incidents during the thunderstorm at various places in the city. Aaditya Kundu, XEN, Sub Urban, said the intensity of the thunderstorm was very high. Supply from 35 power houses was hit as electric poles and cables fell down. Teams of the UHBVN were deployed to restore power supply in the city.
A total of 781 electric poles — 605 with metre height, 123 with 11 metre and 53 high poles — were damaged during the storm, the XEN said. Eighty-four transformers — 40 of 100 KVA, 21 of 63 KVA, 13 of 25 KVA, one of 16 KVA and another of 10 KVA — were damaged on Wednesday evening, Kundu said.
The supply of all power houses in urban and rural domestic supply (RDS) feeders was restored, he said.
Power was disrupted in Sonepat during the thunderstorm. Ashwani Kaushik, XEN, Sub Urban, said the power supply was badly hit due to high intensity thunderstorm which lashed the city during the evening hours.“Over 150 electric poles and seven transformers were damaged in the district. However, it is a tentative data of loss, as the survey in agricultural feeder is yet to finalise,” he said.
“The loss due to thunderstorm may rise. The first priority is to restore power of the rural domestic supply (RDS) feeder. The teams are on the job to carry out repairs,” he said.
