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Ludhiana: Rickety power infrastructure exposed as rain triggers widespread outages
Shockingly, many areas had already been facing power disruptions since Sunday, when a light rain had triggered feeder trippings and multiple faults in transmission lines
Despite tall claims of all-weather infrastructure, the monsoon showers that lashed the city on Monday morning, once again laid bare Ludhiana’s crumbling electricity network, leaving hundreds of residents to endure prolonged outages amid humidity.
The downpour not only crippled key power lines but also unveiled the ageing structure of the city’s electrical system, plunging several parts of the city into outstretched darkness.
Shockingly, many areas had already been facing power disruptions since Sunday, when a light rain had triggered feeder trippings and multiple faults in transmission lines.
Highlighting the ordeal, Baldev Raj, a shopkeeper near Bharat Nagar Chowk, said, “My shop has been without electricity since 2 pm on Sunday. I have made several calls to 1912, but the helpline remains constantly busy. Even when I managed to register a complaint, no one responded. I have been turning away customers as I cannot function without power. This has thrown my entire routine off track.”
Echoing similar frustration, a local vendor running an ice cream parlour in the same area said, “The electricity has been off for over 24 hours. My refrigerator, running on an inverter, stopped working long ago, spoiling gallons of ice cream. I have visited the concerned electricity department multiple times, but instead of resolving the issue, they cite staff shortages. What are we supposed to do in such situations?”
According to PSPCL central zone records, electricity-related complaints in the district saw a staggering 62% jump in just 24 hours from 11,238 on Sunday to 18,233 on Monday. The highest number of complaints were reported in the Model Town division (3,358), followed by Focal Point (2,422), Aggar Nagar (2,261), and Sunder Nagar (1,895).
Reportedly, several localities, including Bhai Himat Singh Nagar, Passi Nagar, Moti Bagh Colony, Phullawal, Iqbalganj, Chauri Sadak, and Tilak Nagar, witnessed outages stretching over seven to eight hours after Monday’s rainfall.
Adding to the crisis, a rain-induced snag at the 220 KV substation in Jagraon severely affected supply to nearby areas when a 100 MVA transformer suffered damage early Monday. Officials attributed the fault to moisture seeping into transformer components, though they claimed supply was being managed through load shifting.
When contacted, chief engineer Jagdev Hans said,” The rain has disrupted the functionality of around 10 to 15 feeders in the city where the waterlogged lanes have made it difficult to identify and fix faults but we are making efforts to restore the supply at the earliest.”
