BHUBANESWAR: Karnataka has sent a 317-member crew to help Odisha fix electricity supply which has been completely disrupted in the aftermath of cyclone Fani. As per the request of Odisha, the Karnataka Government has agreed to provide 1,000 personnel of its power distribution companies for restoration of electricity infrastructure.
The first batch comprising 317 technical staff and engineers of Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) reached here on Tuesday evening in a special train provided by Southeastern Railway. They entire team, equipped with modern tools, will be deployed in Niali under Cuttack Electrical Division (CED), sources in CESU said. The first batch has been divided into 22 teams each headed by an assistant engineer of BESCOM. They will be here for 15 days or till the restoration is over.
“We will assess the situation after the Karnataka team joins restoration works. We will request for more personnel if required,” said a senior CESU official. Meanwhile, 524 gangs, each comprising 10 members, have been engaged to give power supply to 29,01,171 consumers of severely damaged Puri district. It has been targeted to restore power supply to consumers in Puri from May 15, said Information and Public Relation Secretary Sanjay Singh.
As many as 75 220-KV towers have been damaged in Puri. The Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) has been entrusted with the job to restore these towers. One 132 KV tower has been damaged on Chandaka-Puri Road.
The Central power transmission agency is helping OPTCL in restoration of 132 KV line to Puri over emergency restoration system (ERS) which is expected to be charged in a day or two.Stepping up efforts for quick resolution of the problem, PGCIL has pooled in about 1,000 specialised manpower from West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh to assist the State entities like OPTCL and CESU. All necessary help has been extended for restoration of electricity in affected parts of the State, said a PGCIL officer.
After 11 days of the cyclone, CESU has restored power supply to 73 per cent consumers of Cuttack and 70 per cent of Khurda district. Though restoration work is underway on a war footing, a large number of consumers of Kalinganagar, Barang, Chandaka, Infocity, Uttara and SBI Colony of BCDD-II are still living without power. A CESU official said supply will be restored in these areas within two days.