State starts spl control rooms to address outages; to remain operational till Oct 16

Kolkata: In an attempt to ensure uninterrupted power supply and also to address any power outages related issues during Puja days, state power department on Thursday opened special 24x7 control room which will remain operational till October 16, the day of 'Ekadashi'.

"Following the instruction of the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the power department has taken all the precautionary measures to ensure uninterrupted power supply throughout the state during puja. All the senior officials of the department and the staff members are committed to provide dedicated services round the clock. Control room numbers have been opened where people can register complaints any power related issues. All the precautionary measures have been taken so that all the power infrastructure functions normally," power minister Aroop Biswas said.

The minister on Thursday opened two control room numbers at Vidyut Bhawan —8900793503/89007935504 managed by the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL). CESC has also floated two control room numbers - 9831079666/9831083700. If there is power related issues in any particular area, people can call at these numbers, send pictures through WhatsApp. The concerned officials will immediately address the issues.

WBSEDCL has already given around 37,950 Puja connections and CESC 4,658 till Thursday afternoon. Last year, WBSEDCL had given 36,306 connections and CESC 4,600.

"The power department has sent an advisory to all the civic bodies, district administrations, Zilla Parishads giving a detailed outline as what are the preventive measures to check any untoward incidents. The officials were urged to maintain survillance so to check any mishaps. The Regional Managers will look after the district headquarters. Zonal Managers will take care of overall responsibilities. Santanu Basu, CMD WBSEDCL, and CMD WBPDCL PB Selim will take care of main control room at Vidyut Bhawan while Suresh Kumar additional chief secretary of the power department will be in charge over the entire management. As there is some prediction of rainfall, adequate measures are being taken by the power department officials at various levels. Our department is well equipped to handle any situations," Biswas said.

The minister also said that the Santaldih power station which is managed by WBPDCL has secured first place in ranking done by the Centre. Bakreswar power plant has ranked 10th in the list, Biswas added.