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Hindustan Times
25-05-2025
- Climate
- Hindustan Times
Storm aftermath: Ludhiana reels under 22-hour outage
Despite tall promises of uninterrupted power supply and preparations for extreme weather, residents across Ludhiana were left reeling under massive power outages , some lasting up to 22 hours after a fierce sandstorm accompanied by gusty winds swept through the city on Saturday evening. While the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) had assured citizens of robust infrastructure, the storm exposed glaring vulnerabilities. Adding to the frustration, residents claimed there was no clear communication from the authorities regarding restoration timelines. Many alleged repeated calls to helplines went unanswered. 'The power went out early evening and didn't return till the next morning. We had no updates from PSPCL despite several complaints,' said a resident from Model Town. Power supply crumbles despite heavy investment The power supply crisis comes in sharp contrast to recent claims made by Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO, who on May 3, 2025, announced transformative upgrades to Ludhiana's power infrastructure during the 2024–25 fiscal year. These included a ₹221-crore investment in upgrading transformers, modernising over 900 km of high- and low-tension lines, and replacing outdated ACSR wires with HTLS conductors. Along this, on March 9 PSPCL central zone has initiated a series of projects worth ₹265 crore aimed at strengthening the electricity supply in Ludhiana and its surrounding areas. The investment included the installation of 234 new distribution transformers, 37 new feeders, and bifurcation of several feeder lines Yet, the storm left 183 feeders of 11 KV lines down, plunging multiple localities into darkness. The worst affected were under the Focal Point division (58 feeders), Janta Nagar (50), Aggar Nagar (33), Model Town (26), and Estate division (23). Manpower crisis worsens restoration efforts Further complicating matters is a severe manpower crisis. The technical staff responsible for complaint handling wagons and bikes, mostly outsourced are on an indefinite strike, leaving restoration work solely in the hands of the already overstretched regular staff. Official data reveals that 76% of lineman and assistant lineman posts are vacant in Ludhiana. The city has only 1,196 such personnel to cater to over 17 lakh power consumers. 'The situation is so grave that our field staff is taking help from daily wagers to carry out basic restoration tasks. This clearly shows the kind of strain we are under', revealed a senior PSPCL official on the condition of anonymity. Infra damage The storm also caused extensive infrastructure damage. Across Ludhiana district, 691 electric poles and 183 transformers were damaged, with losses estimated at ₹2.76 crore. The sub-urban circle bore the worst of it, with 130 transformers damaged with Jagraon (58), Raikot (30), Lalton Kalan (19), Adda Dakha (12), and Ahmedgarh (11). Within Ludhiana city limits, 32 transformers and 146 poles were reported damaged, along with 5.5 km of ACSR lines. Surge in complaints Officials from PSPCL's central zone reported that a total of 39,639 complaints were registered following the storm which usually were around 24,000. So far, 32,560 complaints have been resolved. Among the divisions, Aggar Nagar recorded the highest number of complaints at 8,974, followed by Model Town with 6,731, Focal Point with 5,019, and Janta Nagar with 1,800. Over 50 trees uprooted across city High-speed winds accompanied by rain showers that took the city by the storm on Saturday evening, uprooted more than 50 trees across residential and commercial areas in Ludhiana. The sudden storm left a trail of fallen trees that damaged parked vehicles, snapped electricity lines, and blocked several roads, officials familiar with the matter said. The worst affected include Patel Nagar, BRS Nagar I-Block, Model Gram, Dugri, and various sectors of Rishi Nagar, including A and Z Blocks. Residents reported severe disruptions, with fallen trees blocking roads and crushing vehicles. Khullar Street on Bindraban Road in Ward No 70 also bore the brunt of the storm. Voicing his concerns, Dilbagh Singh, a resident of Rishi Nagar said, 'The storm brought down multiple trees in our area, and several of them fell directly on the electricity lines. We've been without power since evening, and with the roads partially blocked by debris, it's been difficult for anyone to step out. It's been a long and exhausting night for all of us.' Junior engineer Kirpal Singh from the horticulture wing of municipal corporation confirmed the extent of the damage, by stating, 'Around 50 trees have been uprooted in several parts of the city. We are clearing the pathways after receiving complaints from affected areas,' he said. More thunderstorms expected this week After a thunderstorm, followed by light right, swept through the city Saturday evening, the maximum temperature fell by around 7°C, 3.6°C less than the normal for the day, bringing a much-needed respite from soaring temperature that had hovered above 40°C for over ten days. The city was hit by a strong thunderstorm with gusty wind flowing as fast as 50-60 kmph which was followed by light amounts of rain, a total of 3.2 mm, on Saturday evening, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The maximum temperature on Saturday was 42°C, which fell to 35.2°C on Sunday. The minimum temperature also saw a fall of around 3°C. On Saturday the minimum temperature was 27°C and on Sunday it fell to 23.4°C, a degree less than the normal for the day. The thunderstorms were caused due to an interaction between the higher westerly winds and lower easterly winds. 'There were westerlies from the Mediterranean which are around 8-10 km above the ground and easterlies from the Arabian sea which are just 1 km above the ground. The interaction of these winds caused the strong storm that swept across north India yesterday,' said director of IMD's Chandigarh centre, Surender Paul. If not as strong as yesterday, thunderstorm like conditions were possible for at least in the coming two to three days, he cautioned. The IMD's daily bulletin also noted that 'isolated to scattered light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorm, lightning & gusty winds speed reaching 40-50 kmph' were likely over Punjab during May 25-31. However, he also said that strong rains that can affect the weather significantly were only likely by May end. As per the IMD's latest weekly weather forecast for the city, the temperature is likely to rise but will stay below 40°C in the coming week.
Business Recorder
18-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Power transmission line: Senate panel inquires into ‘ADB-401B-2022' tender anomalies
ISLAMABAD: A meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Economic Affairs was held at Parliament House under the chairmanship of Senator Saifullah Abro. The committee discussed the tender 'ADB-401B-2022' procurement of goods -500kV double circuit quad bundle transmission line from Sangal to 500kV Maira Switching Station (approx.83Kms), using ACSR' 'bunting' conductor. The Officials informed the committee that the bidding documents were published at the NTDC after approval from the ADB on May 6, 2022. Bids were opened on July 7, 2022. On the bid opening date, total 25 bids were received from which 4 bids received for Lot-II: conductor. ADB's ACSR Bunting Conductor: Chinese firm urges authorities to reevaluate tender The committee was briefed that M/s Jiangsu Zhongtian Technology (ZTT), China was non-responsive due to a non-compliant power of attorney and M/s Qingdao Hanhe Cable, China was also non-responsive due to non-fulfillment of performance criteria. However, M/s Henan Tong-Da, China and M/s Newage Cables, Lahore were found to be responsive. After which, Abro raised concerns that on which basis the two bidders were declared non-responsive. The officials responded that one was due to a non-compliant power of attorney, and the other failed to meet the required criteria. The committee chairman inquired as to which specific criteria had not been fulfilled, to which the officials explained that the power of attorney was not attested and the bidder had refused to have it signed. Following this, the committee recommended to invite the bidder to the next meeting to hear their perspective as well. The chairman also directed that complete details of the tender, from initiation to conclusion, be submitted to the committee. During the discussions, the committee chairman said the World Bank's project is being completed ahead of time, while yours doesn't even start on time. He added that a project of World Bank in Sindh which's completion period was three years, but it was completed in just 1.5 years. So why are projects of power delayed, and why does their work start after 10 years, there must be some issue. He directed them to look after these issues and make decisions in the interest of the country and save money. The committee chairman also highlighted as to why was the tender awarded to the third lowest bidder, instead of first one from which Rs500 million could have been saved. To this effect, the committee recommended that a letter should be sent to the FIA to recover this amount. The committee chairman mentioned that the letter being presented regarding ACSR bunting conductor dates back to 2017, which had already been burnt. However, it was presented again in the power committee in 2023, where the individual even recalled the letter number. The committee chairman remarked that they are manipulating, stating that the party originally ranked third lowest was elevated by applying a 15% increase. The committee chairman recommended that the Power Division should issue a letter and the Secretary of Economic Affairs should pursue the matter. It was also discussed that in Lot 1, an amount of Rs1.2 billion was incorrectly entered under the wrong column, as pointed out by the Members of the Board of Directors themselves in December and therefore, it should be recovered. However, the BoD representative disagreed with this stance, stating that an inquiry had already been initiated into the matter and a final decision should be awaited. Surprisingly, an officer who had previously expressed, during a power committee meeting that the amount should indeed be recovered, today the Managing Director NESPAK was claiming that the committee's minutes did not reflect such a recommendation. The NESPAK representative was seen engaging in misleading statements and was unable to respond to any of the chairman's questions. Moreover, his ability to recall, word for word, the contents and reference number of a burned 2017 letter clearly shows that something was being concealed. The Officials briefed the committee about the Sindh Solar Energy project and Sindh Flood Housing Projects/other housing projects in Sindh under the foreign funding along with the tendering process for procurement/NGOs along with quotation, criteria and list of beneficiaries. The Sindh Flood Housing project's CEO told that the 70% of Sindh submerged in water, 24 of 30 districts declared calamity-hit, 12.36 million people affected and 2.1 million houses damaged or destroyed. He further said it is world's largest housing initiative which is restoring 2.1 million homes affected by the 2022 floods in Sindh. First time in Sindh a cumulative data of 2 million household benefitting -12 million people and data collected from 24 districts (130 fields). They also mentioned the donor partners which were the World Bank, European Investment Bank, Islamic Development Bank, UNIDO and the ADB. The committee chairman asked how much had been paid to NGOs so far, to which the CEO responded that Rs4 to 5 billion had been paid. The chairman recommended that the relevant record be submitted. Subsequently, the chairman inquired about the percentage allocated to NGOs. The NGO representative informed that they are being given 9.5%. The chairman proposed that I can give you the NGOs at 3.5%. In response, the CEO stated that it is a World Bank requirement to allocate 4% to NGOs. To this, the chairman remarked that decisions are also made in the interest of the country, so you should consider the national interest and save Sindh's funds. The meeting was attended by Senators Rahat Jamali, Fawzia Arshad, Rana Mehmood ul Hassan, Haji Hidayatullah Khan and senior management from ministry/relevant departments. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
