Residents of Chhatarpur in Madhya Pradesh are struggling with extreme heat and frequent power cuts. With temperature soaring up to 44 degrees Celsius, the consumption of electricity has increased by seven lakh units daily, as residents are using coolers, fans, and air-conditioners to beat the heat. The high consumption has caused transformers and cables to malfunction, leading to regular blackouts. The Suklana area of the city remained without power for 36 hours, while many colonies did not receive power supply throughout Tuesday. The low voltage is also damaging electrical equipment like fans, air-conditioners, and coolers.
The electricity office is receiving nearly 200 complaints and over 50 complaints made through the toll-free helpline. The power officials reported that they can solve only 50 complaints a day and deal with the rest the following day, due to limited staff and resources. With a growing population, the equipment cannot bear the load, as the cables and transformers have become so old that they may stop functioning anytime, leading to further delays in repairing works.
To tackle the situation, the electricity department is planning to set up a small power sub-station that will be completed in a week. The cables will be changed in densely populated areas in the city, and linemen and meter readers will be called from rural areas to speed up the work. Four persons have been deployed to attend calls during the day and two persons during the night. In-charge of maintenance department of the electricity board in Chhatarpur, Rajkumar Lodhi, affirmed that most of the problems occur due to an increase in load.
With limited resources and staff, the repairing works are taking time to be resolved. The department has only three vehicles working for 24 hours, with two vehicles working during the day and one at night. As most complaints are received at night, there are few staff members available to attend complaints, further delaying the repairing work.
The situation in Chhatarpur is concerning, and it’s important that the electricity department ensures adequate resources are made available to deal with this crisis.
