Thunderstorm batters Karnal; 194 poles, 85 transformers damaged, Rs 74 lakh loss
Large parts of the city and rural areas remained without electricity through the night and early Friday morning
A powerful thunderstorm lashed Karnal district during the intervening night of Thursday and Friday, uprooting electricity poles, damaging transformers, and leaving several areas without power for hours.
According to the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) data, the storm caused extensive damage to power infrastructure across the district. A total of 194 electricity poles and 85 transformers were damaged, resulting in an estimated loss of nearly Rs 74 lakh for UHBVN.
The worst-hit areas included residential colonies and farmlands where strong winds uprooted trees and poles. In Model Town, multiple poles collapsed on roads and outside houses, sparking panic among residents. A pole also fell on a car belonging to former MLA and Congress leader Rakesh Kamboj parked outside his residence, damaging the rear of the vehicle.
Large parts of the city and rural areas remained without electricity through the night and early Friday morning, causing severe inconvenience to residents amid humid weather.
“We have deployed all available manpower to restore supply. Our teams worked continuously and did a tremendous job. Power has been restored in most affected areas, while work is underway in severely damaged locations,” said Naseeb Singh, SE, UHBVN, Karnal.
Residents said the sudden storm caused chaos overnight. “There was complete darkness after midnight and the strong winds were frightening. We could hear trees and poles crashing outside,” said Jagdeep Singh, a local resident.
“Electricity remained disrupted till morning and people, especially children and the elderly, faced a lot of problems,” he added.
Another resident, Sonu, said roads were blocked by fallen poles and wires. “People were afraid to go out because live wires were lying on roads in some places,” he said.
The storm also hit rural areas, where farmers raised concerns about the impact on the paddy crop and irrigation. Several tube wells remained inoperative due to the prolonged outage.
“Electricity is essential for irrigation this season. Our fields got no water because the tube wells could not run all night,” said Pawan, a farmer.
UHBVN teams were seen carrying out repairs early Friday morning. Cranes and maintenance vehicles were deployed in affected localities to remove broken poles and restore supply.
