PRINCE KUMAR
Ranchi, May 18: After the people of the capital city were troubled by the problem of frequent power cuts in the scorching heat, Ranchiites will have to face the problem of power cuts again during the rainy season as the underground power distribution system has not been completed yet.
There will be a power outage with the slightest wind, lightning, and rain. If a tree falls somewhere, there will be no electricity in the localities for several days. Had the underground cabling work been completed, people would have got uninterrupted electricity in the rainy season. At the same time, in the areas where underground cabling has been done, electricity is still being supplied through overhead wires.
Six years after the then Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das launched an underground power distribution system project in half a dozen districts including Ranchi, people are still far away from getting benefit from it.
PK Srivastava, general manager cum Chief Engineer of Ranchi said that the underground power distribution system that was started in 2016 has not been completed due to the absence of funds. A DPR has been made and sent for the allocation of funds.
On the question of preparations made to prevent power disruption during the rainy season he said, “Work is being done on war level to reduce the disruption of power supply during the rainy season where trees are being trimmed which are the major cause of power disruption in any area.”
“The 33000-volt lines are interlinked so that uninterrupted power supply can be delivered to the substations which will decrease the problem of power cuts in the city,” he added.
Describing the work done in the field of the underground power distribution system, he said, “Nearly 60% work has been completed in delivering power from the feeder to the substations and 20% work has been completed in delivering power from substations to the transformers. Moreover, only 1600-1700 km of LT wire has been laid till now out of the 3500 km which will provide power from the transformers to every house.”
Crores of rupees have been spent on the scheme of underground cabling for more than six years, but till now it is incomplete. The work on the Kanke-Morhabadi, Kanke-Raj Bhavan interlinking line, Namkum-Polytechnic line, Namkum-Kusai, Namkum-Airport, Hatia-Harmu, Hatia-Pundag, Hatia-Argora and Hatia-Piskamore line has been completed.
Despite underground cables being installed in these areas, overhead wires are passing through and power is being supplied from them, while the department says that wherever underground cabling has been done, electricity is being provided from underground cables only. Overhead cable is provided as an alternative arrangement.
