Port Blair, Apr 20: Port Blair City has been hit by massive power cuts since yesterday, causing great distress to the residents of the region. The power cuts, which have been several hours long, have troubled islanders, especially with the hot and humid season upon them. Even this morning, there was no power till late afternoon, leaving people of Port Blair and South Andaman region high and dry.
The power cuts have been a terrible experience for most of the Islanders, as not everyone can afford an inverter. The prolonged power cuts have left many without electricity for extended periods, leading to inconvenience and discomfort. Even site offices have not been able to provide proper answers for the prolonged power cuts.
According to the Electricity Department, the power interruption happened due to damage of main Tie Lines 33 KV underground cables connecting two major Power Houses viz. Chatham Power House and Phoenix Bay Power House. On inspection it was found that the cable had got damaged due to drilling works carried out by the firm M/s. Ratna Fibers Limited for laying of CCTV Camera under Smart City Project.
In order to repair the underground power cables, the excavation work was undertaken in the morning hours of 20.04.2023. It was found that two underground power cables had got damaged i.e. one 11 KV Tie Line and another 33 KV Tie Line connecting Phoenix Bay Power House and Chatham Power House.
According to the Electricity Department, while carrying out excavation work which involved manual digging also, as a safety precaution all the cables which were running in proximity were also isolated. Due to this there was disconnection between two major power stations and hence to manage the gap between demand and supply, some of the feeders were isolated on a requirement basis.
