Southco close to restoration of electricity in Ganjam

Berhampur: Nearly two months after severe cyclone Phailin hit Odisha, power distribution company Southco said it was close to restoration of electricity supply in worst-hit Ganjam district. About 4,000 out of 55,000 consumers in 70 locations, including 33 villages and 37 hamlets, are waiting for power restoration in the district by Friday evening, sources said. [caption id=“attachment_1276675” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File photo of rescue operations during cyclone Phailin. PTI[/caption] The power distribution company also claimed to supply power to almost all the public utilities like the water supply points of the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), health centres and BSNL towers. The company submitted the progress of the power restoration in the district to district collector Krishan Kumar on Friday evening, on the eve of the deadline fixed by the government for completion of restoration of power in the cyclone-hit district. State’s Energy Secretary PK Jena had asked the Southco official to complete the restoration work by 7 December. He had also asked the company to submit the list of villages where electricity has been restored to the district collector. The collector will intimate the government about the progress of the achievements on power restoration. Meanwhile, Southco has notified the list of villages and hamlets where restoration of power is yet to be made. The company has also appealed to the public to intimate its control room set up at its corporate office in Berhampur, if any location was left-out in the non-restoration list to take immediate action. Disputes between villages, demand of villagers for upgradation of existing power network, standing crops in paddy fields, water logging and inaccessibility to work sites were some of the reasons for delay in restoration of power in the district, company sources said. It claimed that progress in restoration work was good despite the numerous problems after the cyclone. Phailin, which hit the district on 12 October, had damaged 460-km KV line, 35 primary sub-stations, 3130-km 11-KV line, 5872-km of low transmission line, and 1739 distribution transformers, sources said. PTI