There Will Be No Blackout During President Droupadi Murmu’s Odisha Visit This Time, Says TPCODL CEO

Bhubaneswar: Ahead of President Droupadi Murmu’s upcoming visit to Odisha, power distributing agency TPCODL on Saturday said all arrangements are being made to prevent any disruption of electricity as experienced during her last visit in May, this year.

It may be recalled that a blackout caused by some glitch in power supply marred the President’s address during the convocation ceremony of Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University (MSCBU) in at Baripada on May 6.

Shortly after the commencement of Murmus speech, the lights in the university auditorium went off and the venue plunged into darkness.  The President delivered her speech with the help of the dim light fitted on the podium, sources said. Power supply was restored only after around nine minutes.

To prevent recurrence of such embarrassing incident, TP Central Odisha Distribution Limited (TPCODL) is leaving no stone unturned to put in place a foolproof arrangement for uninterrupted power supply during the President’s upcoming visit to the state.

The blackout incident at Baripada had triggered a statewide uproar as the opposition BJP and Congress lashed out at the BJD government and demanded the resignation of Energy Minister. A probe was also ordered into the incident.

All precautionary measures are being taken to prevent any unpleasant incident during the President’s visit this time. Extra care are being taken to ensure that there is no disruption in supply, said CEO of TPCODL, Arvind Singh.

It may be noted here that President Murmu is scheduled to arrive in Odisha on a two-day visit in the last week of July. This will be her third visit to  the state after assuming the highest office in India in July 2022.

According to her itinerary, she will attend the valedictory ceremony of the 75th-anniversary celebrations of Orissa High Court and the convocation ceremony at National Law University Odisha (NLUO) in Cuttack on July 26 as the chief guest. She will also attend the Students Union anniversary of SCB Medical College there the same day and this has been confirmed via letters from Rashtrapati Bhawan and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to the college authorities.