Ludhiana: Storm triggers prolonged power cuts; over 18k complaints logged

Gusty winds damaged overhead lines and poles, triggering automatic safety mechanisms to shut down feeders and prevent further damage

A heavy storm with gusty winds plunged nearly 30% of the city’s localities into darkness on Sunday morning, leaving hundreds of residents and commercial units without electricity for several hours, officials said.

PSPCL officials said that around 50 feeders tripped after storm and work is underway to restore supply. (HT Photo)

Areas including SBS Nagar, parts of BRS Nagar, Model Town, Manjit Nagar, Jamalpur, and Sector 32 reportedly faced electricity cuts lasting 8 to 10 hours, disrupting daily routines across the city.

Officials said strong winds caused over 50 feeders of 11 KV to trip, leading to widespread outages.

Gusty winds damaged overhead lines and poles, triggering automatic safety mechanisms to shut down feeders and prevent further damage.

Additionally, the electricity supply to all transmission lines across Ludhiana was temporarily shut off at 5.30am for nearly half an hour as a precaution.

The severity of the situation was reflected in complaints received by the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL).

The central zone logged over 18,681 complaints by 6.30 pm, with the Aggar Nagar division reporting the highest at 4,154, followed by Model Town (2,760), City West (2,605), and Focal Point division (2,445).

Residents expressed frustration over the prolonged outages.

Dilbagh Singh from Jamalpur said, “We have been without power since early morning. Water pumps and inverters stopped working. It was difficult to manage household chores, particularly on Sunday. We have registered several complaints on the PSPCL helpline 1912, but electricity is yet to be restored.”

Explaining the widespread outages, Tarsem Lal, executive engineer of the Model Town division, said, “Strong winds uprooted a few trees, which damaged cables and electric poles in some areas, cutting off power supply. Our teams restored supply to most affected localities within three to four hours and work is ongoing in the remaining areas.”