Atleast 99% of power restored in South & North 24-Parganas
Kolkata: The state owned power utility – West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL) has managed to restore power to 99 per cent of the total consumers in the affected districts of South Bengal, particularly in the North and South 24-Parganas which still bear the brunt of Amphan.
The WBSEDCL had carried out the restoration work on a war footing and almost completed the restoration of power supply except in few pockets of both North 24-Parganas and South 24-Parganas as the electric towers which were damaged during the cyclone are situated on marshy land. It may take another one month to erect the electric tower and restore power supply to the remaining one per cent consumers in a few pockets, a senior official of the WBSEDCL said.
According to a top official at the WBSEDCL, it has nearly 2 crore consumers out of which around 88 lakh consumers have been affected due to cyclone Amphan. Power has been restored to almost 99 per cent of the total affected consumers. Power could not be restored at some pockets of Sundarbans in South 24-Parganas. In the G-plot area of South 24-parganas there are 12,000 consumers while in Mousuni island has 5,000 consumers. Power could not be restored in these areas as towers were completely collapsed. Power is yet to be restored at a few pockets of Swarupnagar and Sandeshkhali in North 24-Parganas and Raidighi in South 24-parganas. WBSEDCL has incurred a loss of Rs 1,100 crore due to cyclone Amphan. It may be mentioned here that WBSEDCL had 90 lakh consumers when the Mamata Banerjee government came to power.
Reconstruction of towers and substations is not an easy task and it takes a lot of time said an official. The staff members of the power department faced more difficulties in the areas where land is in submerged condition. Despite the challenges the electrical poles and towers have been reconstructed in most of the affected parts, said an official.
In many cases, WBSEDCL workers have done their professional duty in waist-deep water. Local people also helped and joined hands with the workers so that the restoration process is done smoothly. The WBSEDCL staff came under fire in some areas initially immediately after the cyclone Amphan had hit the areas. Later, people realized that the huge number of towers and substations which were damaged in Amphan cannot be erected over night. Supply restoration work was carried out in the most difficult situation. The staff erected poles in many areas despite challenges only to ensure power supply to the affected consumers.
