The Hindu Business Line : `Power sector loss at Rs 20-25 cr'

Mr Sanjay Bhatia (right), MD, Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd, with Mr Jayant Kawale, MD, MSEB Holding Co Ltd, addressing a press conference in Mumbai Thursday. - Paul Noronha

Mumbai , Aug 4

DAMAGE to the power distribution and transmission infrastructure in Maharashtra due to the recent floods, as per preliminary estimates, is in the Rs 20-25-crore range, Mr Sanjay Bhatia, Managing Director, Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company, told presspersons here on Thursday.

The torrential rains and floods affected 12 major power transmission towers; 5,033 high-tension poles; 5,677 distribution transformers and 14 substations. Since the July 26 rains, the utility had been working on a war footing to cope with the situation and had managed to restore power in 90 to 95 per cent areas in the State, he said.

"While restoring power, we gave priority to water pumping stations. Power supply to the Pise pumping station, which supplies water to Mumbai and surrounding areas, was restored on a priority basis," Mr Bhatia said.

Mr Jayant Kawale, Managing Director, MSEB Holding Company, said in areas such as Kalyan and Ambarnath, regular supply would commence once restoration of the Mohana substation, located near Kalyan, was completed.

"The 100 kv power transmission tower of the Mohana substation has collapsed. The effort to rebuild the tower continues but due to fresh flooding our work has been hampered. We have mustered a workforce of 150 personnel to rebuild the tower hope to complete it in five days' time," Mr Kawale said.

For better disaster management in future, sufficient power supply to the substations from multiple nodes needed to be created. This would ensure that power supply was not affected at the time of disasters such as the recent floods.

"We also want an independent communication system that does not depend on land lines or mobile phones, especially for communication between head office and local offices," Mr Kawale said.

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