Balrampur Reels from Storm: 300 Poles Down, Rural Power Restoration May Take Three Days

बलरामपुर उत्तर प्रदेश | अनिरुद्ध प्रताप शुक्ल

Massive Power Disruption in Balrampur Due to Storms

Balrampur district in Uttar Pradesh is experiencing extensive power disruptions following two days of heavy rainfall and destructive high winds. Approximately 300 electricity poles have been toppled across the district, with 130 locations reporting downed power lines and 40 transformers damaged.

Consequently, millions of residents from the district headquarters to remote rural areas are without electricity. Data from the electricity department indicates that this natural calamity has crippled the district's power infrastructure. Urban areas have also seen severe power outages, causing significant inconvenience to residents.

Impact on Urban and Rural Areas

The district headquarters experienced a power outage from 3 AM to 6 PM on Saturday morning. Fallen trees damaged electricity poles and transformers along routes to Bhagwatiganj, Pahalwara, Khamauwa, Utraula, and Tulsipur, halting supply. Pole collapses near Achalapur, Sports Stadium, Suav Bridge, and Anandbagh also severely affected the power system.

With power supply cut off for 20 hours from sub-stations in areas like PoorabTola, Bhagwatiganj, and Vishnapur, consumers faced issues such as non-functional water pumps and inability to charge mobile phones. Local residents including Santosh, Sonu, Manoj, Yogesh, and Ravindra expressed their difficulties.

Rural Areas Brace for Extended Outages

The situation is more critical in rural regions, where power restoration could take up to three days. Power supply to the Haraiya feeder in the Maharajganj Tarai region has been disrupted for the past 36 hours. This has plunged nearly 30 villages, including Badalpur, Udai pur, Chatuwapur, Newaspur, Dudura, Khairi-Khaira, JaishanDih, Kevalpur, Barwa, Kohraura, AlahDih, Premnagar, Madarhwa, Lalnagar Sipahiya, JummanDih, Mahadev, and Jamuni, into darkness.

Local consumers like Mujeeb Ahmed, Uttam Dayal, Shamshad, Santosh Dubey, and Rafatullah complained that their issues are not being addressed by the relevant authorities. Sub-Divisional Engineer (JE) Dayaram stated that there has been a major breakdown in the 33 KV line and the department is working on a war footing to restore supply through patrolling.

Widespread Damage Necessitates Extensive Repairs

Around 20 villages connected to the Jigna sub-station in the Shree Datta Ganj area have been without power for three days. Similarly, power has not been restored in 50 villages of the Haraiya Sathgharwa region.

Local residents such as Shiv Kumar, Shubham Tiwari, Bablu, Harkant Yadav, Saurabh Kumar Pandey, Swami Dayal, Raj Bahadur, Suresh Kasodhan, Rohit Kumar Tiwari, Alok Kumar, Salman Ahmed, and Dinesh Kumar reported that communication with the outside world has become extremely difficult due to the outage of electrical equipment and discharged mobile phones.

Power supply has also been affected for over 15 hours in the cities of Utraula, Tulsipur, Pachpedwa, and Gasdi.

Repair Efforts Underway, Department Mobilized

Executive Engineer Pawan Kumar Rai clarified that the department's contractual staff and contractor teams are engaged in repair work on a war footing to tackle this severe situation. He added that the cooperation of the Forest Department, Public Works Department, and Municipal Administration is also being sought to clear roads and remove obstacles.

Mr. Rai expressed hope that power supply in urban areas might be restored by late evening. However, considering the extensive damage in rural areas, power restoration could take an additional two to three days. The department is replacing damaged electricity poles and reconnecting broken wires. Transformer repairs and replacements are also being prioritized.

This natural disaster has once again exposed the vulnerabilities of rural and urban infrastructure. The delay in power restoration is also likely to adversely impact the local economy, particularly small businesses and agriculture that depend on electricity.

Department officials understand the gravity of the situation and are striving to restore normalcy as quickly as possible. Teams led by JE Dayaram are working around the clock to fix the 33 KV line breakdown. Additionally, in the Haraiya Sathgharwa region, efforts are being made to clear fallen trees with the help of locals to streamline power lines.

Officials are appealing to consumers for patience and assuring them that all possible efforts are being made to restore power supply at the earliest. Affected areas are being continuously inspected, and safety standards are being strictly adhered to prevent any untoward incidents.