Ranchi witnessed widespread power disruptions after two high-tension wires were severed late Wednesday, followed by a storm accompanied by heavy rain on Thursday afternoon. The dual impact left several parts of the city facing prolonged outages.
JBVNL Files Police Complaints
Taking a firm stance against the damage, Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Ltd (JBVNL) registered formal police complaints. Manmohan Kumar, general manager of JBVNL Ranchi Supply Area, stated that a 33 kV wire connected to the Lok Bhavan feeder was cut near the Borio river, while an 11 kV wire was disconnected at Piska More. Investigations revealed that the line at Piska More was snapped by an earthmover during construction work, and the 33 kV wire at Borio was cut by heavy machinery engaged in cleaning operations.
The damage to the 33 kV line caused minimal disruption as the Lok Bhavan feeder has two alternative power supplies. However, the snapping of the 11 kV wire triggered a blackout across a vast area, affecting around 50 transformers. Technical teams worked through the night to restore the network, repairing the line by Thursday morning. Kumar reiterated that disconnecting electricity infrastructure is a serious legal offence, prompting the discom to file FIRs.
Storm Causes Additional Damage
Strong winds accompanied by heavy downpour on Thursday afternoon caused widespread damage, uprooting trees and snapping branches across several neighbourhoods. The storm led to power cuts lasting between four and five hours in various parts of the city. On restoration progress, Kumar added, “We managed to restore electricity across most parts of the city by evening. However, power restoration was delayed in Harmu, where fallen trees required extensive clearing work by the Ranchi Municipal Corporation.”
Residents Face Water Crisis
A resident of Piska, Sudhir Kumar, said, “Due to power cut since midnight, we faced water crisis too as we couldn’t operate the boring to refill tankers. The situation improved only around noon.” A homemaker, Savita Kumar, added, “While the inverter assured that fans operated at night, we couldn’t run the AC.”
JUVNL Billing Directives
Jharkhand Urja Vikas Nigam Ltd (JUVNL) CMD, K Srinivasan, on Thursday directed officials to ensure 100% electricity billing for June. He ordered the formulation of a comprehensive plan to be implemented across all area boards. For consumers without smart meters, field teams must take immediate action to deliver bills generated by ‘urja mitras’ (billing representatives) directly to their doorsteps. Additionally, any discrepancies or billing errors must be rectified within a defined timeline. Agencies were also ordered to submit their monthly invoices by the 15th of every month to ensure timely payment processing.
