Inclement weather, snapping of wires lead to power cuts in several areas

Ranchi: The dual impact of snapping of two high-tension wires late on Wednesday, and a storm accompanied by heavy rain on Thursday afternoon, left several parts of the city facing prolonged power outages.

Adopting a firm stance against the severed cables, Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Ltd (JBVNL) registered formal police complaints.

Manmohan Kumar, general manager of JBVNL Ranchi Supply Area, stated that a 33 kV wire connected to the Lok Bhavan feeder was severed near the Borio river. Similarly, an 11 kV wire was disconnected at Piska More.

“Our investigations revealed that the line in Piska More was snapped by an earthmover during construction work. Similarly, the 33 kV wire at Boreo was snapped by heavy machinery engaged in cleaning operations,” Kumar said.

While the damage to the 33 kV line caused minimal disruption as the Lok Bhavan feeder is supported by two alternative power supplies, the snapping of the 11 kV wire triggered a blackout across a vast area, affecting around 50 transformers. Technical teams worked through the night to restore the network, repairing the line by Thursday morning.

Kumar reiterated that disconnecting electricity infrastructure is a serious legal offence, prompting the discom to file FIRs.

Strong winds accompanied by heavy downpour caused widespread damage on Thursday afternoon, uprooting trees and snapping branches across several neighbourhoods. The storm led to power cuts lasting between four and five hours in various parts of the city.

On the restoration progress, the GM added, “We managed to restore electricity across most parts of the city by evening. However, power restoration was delayed in Harmu, where fallen trees required extensive clearing work by the Ranchi Municipal Corporation.”

A resident of Piska, Sudhir Kumar, said, “Due to power cut since midnight, we faced water crisis too as we couldn’t operate the boring to refill tankers. The situation improved only around noon.”

A homemaker, Savita Kumar said, “While the inverter assured that fans operated at night, we couldn’t run the AC.”

JUVNL billing

Jharkhand Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (JUVNL) CMD, K Srinivasan, on Thursday directed officials to ensure 100% electricity billing for June. He ordered the formulation of a comprehensive plan to be implemented across all area boards. For consumers without smart meters, field teams must take immediate action to deliver bills generated by ‘urja mitras’ (billing representatives) directly to their doorsteps. Additionally, any discrepancies or billing errors must be rectified within a defined timeline. Agencies were also ordered to submit their monthly invoices by the 15th of every month to ensure timely payment processing.