Power supply to be hit in Kullu region today

Kullu, April 17

The power supply will remain disrupted in Kullu town, Kharal Valley, Seobagh, Babeli, Kolibehar, Gandhi Nagar, Kais, Bhekhali, Sari, Bandrol, Bashing, Ramshila and Lug Valley from 10 am to 6 pm on April 18.

This was stated by Executive Engineer Virender Sharma of Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited, who stated the outage would be caused due to the protection and testing of 33/11 kv 2X10 mva and 1×3.15 mva substations in Kullu and periodic testing and necessary maintenance work of 33 kv lines.

Though necessary, such disruptions don’t go down well with area residents. “Though Himachal is one of the largest power producing states of the country, with Kullu district having many mega and micro hydro-electricity projects, the problem of erratic supply and low voltage persists in most of the rural areas in Kullu,” said Sandeep, a resident of Banjar. “ The population and habitation have been growing continuously, but the electricity infrastructure has remained more or less the same. Residents of many rural areas have raised the issue several times, but there has been no solution so far.”

A Katrain village resident, Kapil, said, “Many cases of fire in rural areas were due to short-circuits, mostly due to worn-out wires. The infrastructure should be upgraded with time to cope with the increasing burden on the power supply.”

Paras, a resident of Parganoo village adjacent to Bhuntar town, said, “The area witnesses frequent power failures, especially during the rains. The department and government should look into the matter seriously and provide immediate relief to the people of the rural areas.”