Heavy rain triggers blackout in Dharamsala, McLeodganj

Heavy rain on Tuesday night plunged Dharamsala, McLeodganj and surrounding areas into complete darkness as two main power supply lines were damaged, disrupting electricity supply for several hours.

The blackout began around 8 pm, affecting both residential areas and public infrastructure. Streetlights across the towns were also non-functional, causing inconvenience and safety concerns amid continuing rainfall.

According to officials from the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (HPSEB), the outage occurred after multiple 33KV power lines feeding the region broke down. In one major incident, a large tree collapsed onto a 33KV line near Daarhi, severing the main supply. Another crucial 33KV line was damaged near the Pingal nullah—both lines are key feeders for Dharamsala and McLeodganj.

Initial efforts to restore electricity in some areas using an 11KV feeder from the Daarhi area failed due to adverse weather conditions, officials said.

Partial power was restored after nearly three hours and complete restoration in all areas took several more hours. Repair work continued late into the night with teams battling challenging weather conditions to bring the situation under control.