Union Power Secy, NTPC CMD Review Power Restoration In Puri, Bhubaneswar

WORK IN PROGRESS: A crane being used to repair Cyclone Fani-damaged power lines in Bhubaneswar on Friday.

Bhubaneswar: Chairman and managing director (CMD) of NTPC, Gurdeep Singh and Union power secretary A.K. Bhalla on Tuesday visited Bhubaneswar and Puri to assess the impact of Cyclone Fani on electrical installations.

They also held discussions with development commissioner Asit Tripathy and the principal secretary, Energy, Hemant Sharma.

Singh and Sanjeev Kishore, executive director, NTPC Talcher-Kaniha, and other senior officials held a meeting with officials of the Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana (DDUGJY) and Saubhagya (a scheme under Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana to provide free electricity connections to all households, both APL and BPL in rural areas and poor families in urban areas).

During the meeting, Singh appreciated efforts by the NTPC team to restore electricity after cyclone Fani. He said that the Odisha government has reposed confidence in NTPC and therefore plans to assign some specific localities to NTPC for restoration of electricity. He advised the group to take up the challenge as an opportunity to show its capability.

The NTPC CMD, accompanied by AK Bhalla, Sanjeev Kishore and Hemant Sharma, and other senior officials visited OPTCL’s Dighalo 132/33 KV sub-station, 132 KV line (emergency restore Tower) near Balighai and Baliguali village, Talabania 132/33 KV sub-station and Talabania control room and reviewed restoration work in Puri district.

The state government has requested NTPC to take up work at four places in Puri out of which two are identified in Nimapara and Gop blocks for LT (low tension) network restoration work.

To expedite the power restoration work, NTPC has deployed 950 trained electrical staff in the cyclone-affected areas of Puri, Khurda, Jagatsignhpur and Kendrapara districts.