Pipon Gain & Vikramaditya
Sri Vijaya Puram, Apr 15: Diglipur is grappling with a worsening power crisis, as prolonged outages and inadequate infrastructure continue to disrupt daily life.
Speaking to Andaman Sheekha Daily, the Panchayat Samiti Pramukh Mr. Dipankar Mistry today said that the crisis has worsened after a major generator set from Diglipur was shifted to Havelock (Swaraj Dweep) last year following a breakdown there. Although authorities had assured that a new or sufficient replacement would be provided for Diglipur, only an old and inadequate machine has been installed so far.
He further revealed that protests were also staged by PRI members last year over the issue, and letters were submitted to the concerned authorities. However, no concrete action has been taken to address the problem.
Highlighting the root cause, Mr. Mistry pointed out that the situation has been aggravated due to low water levels at the dam in Navagram. As water levels drop during the dry season, power generation through turbines of Kalpong Hydroelectric Power Plant has come to a halt, forcing reliance solely on diesel-based generators.
“As a result, power supply is being managed through rotational load shedding, with outages of around one hour to one hour and 45 minutes in different areas every day,” he said.
The frequent outages are severely affecting farmers, shopkeepers, and small business owners. Farmers are struggling to irrigate their fields and orchards, while commercial establishments are facing operational difficulties.
Mr. Mistry warned that the situation is likely to persist until the onset of the monsoon, as there is currently no alternative arrangement in place. He added that despite discussions with the Executive Engineer, no immediate solution has been offered, with officials indicating that the power cuts may continue in the same pattern until rainfall improves water availability.
Calling for urgent intervention, Mr. Mistry emphasized the need for a long-term and sustainable solution to prevent such recurring crises every year. “This is not a new problem. It happens every year, and we want the administration to take concrete steps to resolve it permanently,” he said.
Apart from the electricity issue, he noted that there are no major concerns in the area at present, but stressed that uninterrupted power supply remains a critical need for the region.
