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Time of India
16 hours ago
- Climate
- Time of India
45 transformers damaged in last 3 days due to rain
1 2 Ranchi: Monsoon triggered rainfall over the past week has taken a toll on electricity supply across several parts of the city, causing inconvenience to residents. According to the Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (JBVNL), more than 45 power transformers were damaged due to persistent rainfall, leading to prolonged power outages in many areas in the last three days. Sources said that 200 transformers were down since the onset of monsoon, but they are working actively to restore them. The most affected localities include Namkum, Doranda, Chutia, Hatia, and Tatilswae, where residents are experiencing partial blackouts and intermittent supply. Officials stated that short circuits, blown fuses, and water-logged cables were among the most common issues reported during the past three days of heavy downpour. General secretary of the Ranchi Supply Area Board at JBVNL, Manmohan Kumar, said, "During rain, transformers, fuses, and underground cables often get affected. Strong winds make things worse by damaging overhead lines. Our crew are on standby and working continuously despite adverse weather, but maintenance takes time, which results in outages in impacted zones." You Can Also Check: Ranchi AQI | Weather in Ranchi | Bank Holidays in Ranchi | Public Holidays in Ranchi Field technicians are reportedly working round-the-clock to restore power supply, prioritising critical infrastructure and densely populated areas. "The rainwater seeps into the distribution boxes, causing short circuits. We've deployed maintenance teams in affected areas, but continuous rain has slowed progress," said D N Sahu, electrical superintendent engineer at JBVNL of Ranchi Zone. As per JBVNL officials, there are 18 sub-divisional officers, each assisted by a team of three mechanics responsible for carrying out maintenance work. Several areas, including New Colony, Hyder Ali Road, and Kokar, experienced repeated power cuts since last night. Although supply was briefly restored in the morning, electricity returned after 10:30 am. Similar outages lasting around five hours were reported in Namkum, Sidroll, Chuna Bhatta Ratu, Kokar, Tiril Road, and Sunder Vihar on Sunday and Monday. Neha Lakra, a resident of Chunna Bhatta, said, "It's difficult to manage daily chores without power. Sometimes water for drinking and bathing isn't available because the motor doesn't work during power outages."
Time of India
02-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
City consumers struggle to pay power bills amid link failures
1 2 Ranchi: Consumers are struggling to pay electricity bills due to frequent link failures across any time payment (ATP) machines. This comes at a time when the Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (JBVNL) has identified 36,000 in Ranchi circle with dues. Of these, 600 have received warning. A total of 26 ATP machines faced technical issues, especially due to link failures, in the past three days. Consumers attempting to make bill payments reported repeated system breakdowns, resulting in long queues, arguments. A resident of Lalpur, Veena Kumari, said, "It's taking 5 to 7 minutes to pay a bill. Sometimes, the link fails when payment processing starts. Money gets deducted from our account but is not deposited in the JBVNL account." Earlier, the billing process was through a system developed by the HCL. The power department transitioned to a new platform, named 'Future Grid'. Electrical superintendent engineer D N Sahu said, "We have received complaints regarding link failures and software leakage. These will be investigated." The general manager of JBVNL (IT department), Dhananjay Kumar, said, "We found out three days ago that the link was down and addressed the problem." A total of 3.10 lakh smart meters have been installed across the city. Out of these, 2.80 lakh are functional in prepaid mode. People claim that though smart meters are connected to mobile apps allowing real-time billing, consumers have to visit payment centres. Many also reported disproportionate increase in billing amounts. A resident of Ratu, Anup Chatterjee, said, "Earlier, my bill used to be around Rs 1,500. Now, it touches Rs 4,000. There's no transparency and no one is listening. And when we go to pay, the system is down." While urban consumers are caught in a cycle of failed transactions and rising bills, rural areas have not been receiving bills, sometimes for months. Rina Devi of Rajaulatu, said, "We received the last electricity bill in November last year. The JBVNL officials tell us to contact our block office. We keep on running from pillar to post."
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
Power outage continues for the third day in city
Ranchi: Power outages still continue to plague people in many parts of the city on Tuesday, almost two days after a storm damaged transformers and electric poles. In many areas of Ranchi, power outage began on Saturday evening and continued till Monday, leaving residents in the areas to face inconvenience. The outage affected numerous localities including Tatisilwai, Namkum, Lowadih, Chutia and other areas. Although electricity supply resumed in the areas on Monday night, power outages again came back to haunt them as it rained again on Tuesday afternoon. Ranchi on Tuesday experienced moderate thunderstorm and lightning accompanied with rain and gusty wind speeding up to 50-60 kmph. A powerful storm, speeding up to 80 kmph, that struck Ranchi on Sunday evening, left the city grappling with widespread power outages, as over 150 electric poles were uprooted and six power transformers were damaged in the storm. Sneha Singh, a resident of Chutia, said, "After two days of outage, power supply was partially resumed on Monday night. The supply was not consistent, even if it resumed after 48 hours. But, further deteriorating the condition, a power cut extending up to several hours started on Tuesday afternoon." Another resident of Kutchery Chowk area, Raunak Raj, said, "Inverters have run out of power. It is a pathetic state of affairs. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch Bitcoin và Ethereum - Không cần ví! IC Markets BẮT ĐẦU NGAY Undo Even if the weather slightly deteriorates, a power outage starts." Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (JBVNL) superintendent engineer of Ranchi circle, D N Sahu, said that the damaged power infrastructures were repaired. "However, power cables were snapped in many areas due to rain and storm, leading to power outage. The total amount of destruction is yet to be assessed. Meanwhile, workers on the ground have been engaged to bring the power supply to normalcy," he added. On Tuesday, Bokaro received the highest rainfall, 41.6 mm, followed by 29.2 mm recorded in Ranchi, Jamshedpur recorded 0.4 mm, Ramgarh 15 mm, and Lohardaga recorded 3.5 mm rainfall. The rain brought down the maximum temperatures across the state. Ranchi recorded a maximum temperature of 33.9 °C, a drop of 2.8 °C from normal temperature. Jamshedpur recorded a 37.5 °C, a drop of 1 °C below the normal, Bokaro recorded 32.5 °C. Daltonganj recorded the highest maximum temperature at 41.4 °C on Tuesday. Ranchi: Power outages still continue to plague people in many parts of the city on Tuesday, almost two days after a storm damaged transformers and electric poles. In many areas of Ranchi, power outage began on Saturday evening and continued till Monday, leaving residents in the areas to face inconvenience. The outage affected numerous localities including Tatisilwai, Namkum, Lowadih, Chutia and other areas. Although electricity supply resumed in the areas on Monday night, power outages again came back to haunt them as it rained again on Tuesday afternoon. Ranchi on Tuesday experienced moderate thunderstorm and lightning accompanied with rain and gusty wind speeding up to 50-60 kmph. A powerful storm, speeding up to 80 kmph, that struck Ranchi on Sunday evening, left the city grappling with widespread power outages, as over 150 electric poles were uprooted and six power transformers were damaged in the storm. Sneha Singh, a resident of Chutia, said, "After two days of outage, power supply was partially resumed on Monday night. The supply was not consistent, even if it resumed after 48 hours. But, further deteriorating the condition, a power cut extending up to several hours started on Tuesday afternoon." Another resident of Kutchery Chowk area, Raunak Raj, said, "Inverters have run out of power. It is a pathetic state of affairs. Even if the weather slightly deteriorates, a power outage starts." Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (JBVNL) superintendent engineer of Ranchi circle, D N Sahu, said that the damaged power infrastructures were repaired. "However, power cables were snapped in many areas due to rain and storm, leading to power outage. The total amount of destruction is yet to be assessed. Meanwhile, workers on the ground have been engaged to bring the power supply to normalcy," he added. On Tuesday, Bokaro received the highest rainfall, 41.6 mm, followed by 29.2 mm recorded in Ranchi, Jamshedpur recorded 0.4 mm, Ramgarh 15 mm, and Lohardaga recorded 3.5 mm rainfall. The rain brought down the maximum temperatures across the state. Ranchi recorded a maximum temperature of 33.9 °C, a drop of 2.8 °C from normal temperature. Jamshedpur recorded a 37.5 °C, a drop of 1 °C below the normal, Bokaro recorded 32.5 °C. Daltonganj recorded the highest maximum temperature at 41.4 °C on Tuesday.
Time of India
14-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
JBVNL begins power disconnection of smart meters over unpaid bills
Ranchi: Over 250 were disconnected in Ranchi Circle in the last one week due to insufficient balance in and non-payment of dues. The Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited ( ) mandates that households should maintain a minimum balance of Rs 200 in their smart metres, failing which their supply will be automatically cut off. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Around 20,000 connections are on the verge of breaching the Rs 200 minimum balance limit, officials power cuts, a large number of consumers are now rushing to electricity offices to clear their dues or recharge their smart Singh, a daily wager from Kokar, said, "I'm not familiar with how to pay online for the smart meter, so I went to a cyber cafe for help. But even there, I found out the server wasn't working, and I had to wait for a long time just to pay the bill. They told me to come back after three hours. I can't afford to miss a day's wage, but I also can't afford a power cut."Suresh Kashyap, another consumer, said, "My UPI transaction failed because of server issues, which was really frustrating. On top of that, ever since the smart meter was installed, we've noticed a significant increase in the electricity bill amount."Electrical superintendent engineer, D N Sahu, said, "The objective isn't to cause inconvenience to consumers, but to promote timely bill payments and enhance the overall efficiency of the billing system. This step is part of a broader effort to streamline electricity services and ensure uninterrupted supply through better management."A JBVNL official said, "We recognise the ongoing server downtime challenges and are actively working to fix them. Additionally, efforts are being made to deploy more staff at billing counters during peak hours to manage the rush."
Time of India
05-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Palamu admin plans to revive Koyel Aajivika Apparel Park
Daltonganj: The Palamu administration is set to revive the dormant Koyel Aajivika Apparel Park in Chainpur through a public-private partnership (PPP) model. The facility, which has remained non-operational for over two years, is poised for a significant transformation under this new initiative. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Deputy development commissioner (DDC) Md Shabbir Ahmad, who recently inspected the facility, announced that the administration would soon float tenders to attract start-ups and established firms with relevant expertise to manage the park's operations. The move aims to breathe new life into the facility that once played a crucial role during the Covid-19 pandemic. The apparel park, currently housing approximately 150 idle machines, including specialized button and hole-making equipment, requires an estimated investment of Rs 4-5 lakh to restore functionality. The Jharkhand State Livelihood Society has been directed to oversee this rehabilitation process. Established in 2019 under the leadership of former DC Shantanu Agrahari, the facility gained prominence during the pandemic by manufacturing thousands of protective masks and hand sanitizers. The masks, initially priced at Rs 20 each, were later distributed free of charge following chief minister Hemant Soren's intervention. At its peak, the park employed over 200 women workers, emerging as a significant contributor to female workforce participation in the region. The revival initiative holds particular significance given Jharkhand's low women labour force participation rate, which stands at just over 10 percent, seven percentage points below the national average. DC Shashi Ranjan has expressed strong commitment to rejuvenating the facility to boost women's employment opportunities in the region. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The administration plans to implement a local-first employment policy, targeting 90 percent local workforce participation, with the remaining 10 percent reserved for specialized roles such as sewing machine technicians and master fabric cutters. However, the facility faces significant challenges, including an outstanding electricity bill of Rs 20 lakh, which has led to a recent power disconnection by the Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited. DDC Shabbir has assured that this issue will be addressed under the DC's guidance.
