A severe thunderstorm accompanied by gusty winds that swept across the city around 7 am on Sunday disrupted electricity supply across Ludhiana for nearly 10 hours, affecting around 40 Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) feeders, officials said. While power was restored in many localities between 12-1 pm, repair work in some areas continued through the day amid the indefinite strike by complaint handling bikes (CHB) staff.
PSPCL chief engineer Jagdev Singh Hans said supply from the 220-kV Dhandari grid was disturbed following storm-related damage and was subsequently shifted to the 220-kV Jamalpur grid to maintain electricity supply. “It could take a few days to erect the damaged tower and fully restore the affected infrastructure,” he added.
Officials said the sudden weather disturbance damaged portions of the 66-kV and 220-kV networks, including infrastructure near Sua Road, after trees and heavy branches fell on electricity lines and installations at multiple locations.
Multiple feeders tripped simultaneously after snapped branches damaged overhead wires and supply lines, officials said.
PSPCL field teams were rushed across the city to clear fallen trees, repair faults and restore supply in affected areas.
Around 4 pm, nearly six feeders under the Aggar Nagar division remained disrupted after a tree fell onto electricity lines near a lane off Mall Road. Tree-cutting and repair operations were still underway till the time of filing this report, with efforts continuing into the evening.
The PSPCL chief engineer said restoration work was launched immediately after the disruption. “A large number of feeders were affected after trees and branches fell on electricity lines at different locations. Teams remained deployed throughout the day and supply was restored in phases after clearing faults and damaged infrastructure,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}The PSPCL chief engineer said restoration work was launched immediately after the disruption. “A large number of feeders were affected after trees and branches fell on electricity lines at different locations. Teams remained deployed throughout the day and supply was restored in phases after clearing faults and damaged infrastructure,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Residents across the city reported repeated tripping, voltage fluctuations and prolonged disruption during the morning and afternoon.
“The supply went off early in the morning and remained disrupted for several hours. Because of the continuous tripping, even the inverters stopped working properly. Such long outages create huge inconvenience,” said Aman Gupta, a resident of Sarabha Nagar.
In the Haibowal area, residents said routine household work and water supply were affected. “There were repeated voltage fluctuations before the electricity finally went out completely. The supply was restored only after several hours,” said Rajesh Sharma, a resident.
Residents under the Aggar Nagar division said restoration work continued till late afternoon after a tree fell over wires near the Mall Road-side lane, affecting nearby areas for most of the day.
Sources in PSPCL said restoration efforts were also impacted by shortage of field staff and the indefinite strike by CHB employees. Power sector unions have been raising concerns over vacant posts, staff shortage and labour issues for months, with multiple protests and strike calls reported this year.
Officials said teams remained on alert till late evening to attend to any fresh complaints or weather-related faults.
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