JHARSUGUDA: A nor’wester struck Jharsuguda town and surrounding areas on Monday evening causing widespread destruction. The summer storm lasted from 7 pm until midnight with strong wind, heavy rainfall, and lightning.
More than 1,500 trees were uprooted during the storm with extensive damage reported in Badmal, Kukajangha, Sahapada, Harekrushnapur, and Hirma panchayat areas. Several kachha houses were either partially or completely destroyed.
In Harekrushnapur, the house of Sahadev Bhoi was completely damaged, while many other houses suffered damage due to flying away of asbestos sheets. The torrential rain led to inundation of many roads, adding to the chaos. Power supply across the district was severely hit as fallen trees snapped electricity lines. Around 4,000 households in the Pahadi Mandir and Badheimunda areas remained without electricity from Monday evening until Tuesday morning.
Frustrated by the prolonged power outage and lack of response from TPWODL, residents organised a protest on Tuesday morning. Led by Jharsuguda Merchant Association general secretary Ravi Gidwani, along with BJD leaders Sarita Agarwal and Sangram Mohanty, locals blocked the roads at Pahadi Mandir from 7.30 am to 11 am. The protest ended only after the SDO of the Behramal electricity department arrived at the scene and assured the public of prompt restoration of power.
Contacted, TPWODL executive engineer Ranjit Pradhan said that the storm had caused extensive damage to the power infrastructure. “All our staff worked through the night to restore services, and power supply was fully restored by Tuesday afternoon,” he added.
Meanwhile, the fire department has been engaged in clearing the uprooted trees and debris from affected areas.