IEP Chandigarh, July 25
Punjab Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO on Tuesday said that the power supply has been restored to all 595 places affected by the recent floods in the state. He said that the most affected districts were Rupnagar, SAS Nagar, Patiala and Sangrur. Revealing this in a press communiqué issued here, Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO said that the floods have caused significant damage to the infrastructure of the Punjab State Power Corporation (PSPCL). “The loss of infrastructure has had a significant impact on the power supply in the affected areas, affecting essential services. PSPCL workforce worked round the clock to restore power supply to the affected areas”, said the Power minister while adding that the PSPCL officers had sensibly outlined their priorities for restoring power with the highest priority given to the critical infrastructure, such as Hospitals, Medical facilities, Telecom and water supply. Giving details regarding loss incurred to PSPCL due to recent floods, Harbhajan Singh ETO said that the total loss has been estimated to be around Rs. 16 crore including damage of around Rs. 9 crores to the 11 kV/LT infrastructure, Rs. 1.5 crores to PSPCL office Infrastructure, furniture & record besides damage of around Rs. 5.5 crore to the 66 kV substations. He said that the damage includes uprooted poles, damaged transformers, and flooded substations which cause damage of substation equipment and power lines. He said that twenty 66 KV sub-stations across the state were inundated due to which infrastructure was severely damaged. Divulging further, ETO said that the water from the nearby overflowing water bodies had entered the substations after breaking the boundary walls. “The water also entered in the cable trenches inside the control room buildings and power transformer yards. Heavy rain also caused damage to the roofs of the substations and office buildings”, said Harbhajan Singh ETO while mentioning that the pumps had been deployed at the substations to pump out the water from the substation yard and the supply was switched off keeping in view the public safety. The Power Minister congratulated the employees and officers of PSPCL for showing professional zeal in rising up to occasion and restoring power to all flood affected areas. He also thanked the general public for their support and cooperation.
