Mandi (HP) Jun 30 (PTI) Erratic electricity supply has been causing significant inconvenience to the residents of Sundernagar and its surrounding areas in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district for several days.
Locals attribute the inconsistent power supply to poor management and the untimely execution of scheduled repair and maintenance work on the electric supply lines.
They claim that whenever there is a slight change in weather, such as rain or wind, various areas around Sundernagar experience power outages, with residents on the outskirts sometimes left without electricity for 10 to 12 hours.
Residents expressed frustration that when they tried to contact the Junior Engineer or the Assistant Engineer, either accurate information was not provided or their calls went unanswered.
Abhay, a local, noted that the negligent handling of the situation not only causes harassment to the public but also results in losses for the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board.
“Sometimes consumers receive notifications that repair work will be conducted on a specific day, but the work is either not done as scheduled, or the date is changed without prior notice, disrupting the plans of the public at large,” said retired employee Arjun Singh, another local.
On June 23, a press release was issued by the Assistant Engineer of HPSEB Sundernagar, stating that scheduled repairs and maintenance would take place on June 27, resulting in a temporary power shutdown. However, the electricity supply remained normal, as no scheduled work was undertaken, and the date was shifted to June 28 without informing the public, according to another local, Ravinder.
On June 28, the electricity supply remained erratic, and the city was left in the dark at midnight on June 29. Because water is supplied through electric pumps, the lack of power resulted in a water supply disruption. While electricity was restored on June 29, supply issues persist.
Mohit Tandon, the Executive Engineer of HPSEB Division Sundernagar, stated that the problem was due to a fault in some machinery at the substation, which has since been identified. Electricity was restored through an alternate route, and he assured that the issue would be resolved permanently soon.
When asked about the frequency of problems in the area, Tandon mentioned that he lacked specific information but would gather feedback from field staff and prioritise resolving the situation. PTI COR BPL MPL MPL
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