5,500 transformers damaged in Kangra, Chamba, people go without electricity
The storm that hit the Kangra region yesterday may have caused huge losses to government departments such as Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Ltd (HPSEBL) and Jal Shakti. Lakhs of people went without power and water supply as electricity lines were damaged due to the high-velocity winds. Life was thrown out of gear in the district today, as most of offices were without power and water supply.
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Ajay Gautam, Chief Engineer, HPSEBL, Dharamsala, said that about 5,500 transformers in Kangra and Chamba districts were damaged due to the storm last night. Lakhs of people were without power due to the damage caused to transformers or transmission lines. The storm was so severe that 220 KVA lines were damaged.
“We are trying to restore power as early as possible. The employees of the HPSEBL are working relentlessly to restore power supply. We hope that most of the transformers will be restored by tomorrow,” he added.
Sources said that the HPSEBL had suffered damage to its infrastructure to the tune of about Rs 2 crore due to the storm last night.
Due to damaged power lines, many water schemes were also damaged and people in many areas of Kangra district remained without power supply. Deepak Garg, Chief Engineer Jal Shakti Department, said that due to the disruption in power and water supply, about 55 projects in Kangra district were affected, inconveniencing about 3 lakh people in the district.
In the Dehra region, the roof of a water supply pump station was blown off, causing a loss of about Rs 30 lakh to the Jal Shakti Department, Garg added.
The storm also led to the blockage of some roads in the district, as uprooted trees fell on roads. Traffic on the Dharamsala-Sarah-Gaggal road was disrupted as uprooted trees fell on it. Traffic on many link roads in the district was also disrupted after trees fell on them. Meanwhile, the Public Works Department (PWD) cleared most of the roads by today evening.
The storm also caused damage to wheat crop in lower regions of Kangra district. The wheat was flattened in fields. The storm also caused extensive damage to horticulturists. “This year, we were expecting good 'lichi' and mango crops. However, the sudden storm that hit the region on Wednesday night caused extensive damage to the mango and lichi crops in the region,” said Sandeep, an horticulturist of Kangra.
