By PTI | Chandigarh, Punjab
Punjab Power Minister Sanjeev Arora on Tuesday held a meeting with the officials of power utility PSPCL to assess damage to electricity distribution-related infrastructure, caused by rains and high-velocity winds on May 3, and review its restoration.
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The meeting was attended by the chairman, directors, chief engineers and other senior personnel of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL).
A comprehensive review of the situation revealed that the districts of Mohali, Patiala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Amritsar and Gurdaspur were among the worst-affected, according to an official release.
Officials said that while the 66 kV transmission network remained largely intact, the distribution infrastructure suffered significant damage.
Around 1,300 eleven kilovolts (11 kV) feeders were disrupted, nearly 1,500 poles were damaged, over 300 transformers were affected, and more than 70 km of HT/LT lines were impacted, they said.
Additionally, one 220 kV transmission tower sustained damage, he said.
Taking serious note of the situation, the power minister appreciated the swift and coordinated response by PSPCL teams, who worked round the clock under challenging conditions, he said.
It was highlighted that more than 83,000 complaints were attended to across Punjab, with nearly 70% resolved within two hours, while the remaining cases involved major infrastructure damage requiring additional time, officials said.
Due to continuous monitoring, real-time coordination, and extensive feeder patrolling, the PSPCL successfully restored power supply to all affected areas within 24 hours, either through the main network or alternate arrangements, according to officials.
Restoration of damaged infrastructure is currently underway on priority to further stabilise the system, they said.
During the meeting, Arora issued clear directions to PSPCL officers to strengthen the disaster preparedness mechanism for effective handling of such extreme weather events in the future, undertake preventive maintenance and infrastructure upgradation to minimise disruptions and ensure faster response systems and enhanced field-level coordination.
The minister emphasised that there should be zero tolerance for delays in restoration during emergencies and instructed officials to remain fully prepared for any such eventualities in the coming months.
