Thoubal fumes over frequent outages
Source: Chronicle News Service

Thoubal, October 18 2024: Thoubal district denizens are facing serious inconveniences due to frequent and unscheduled load shedding in areas covered by the 33/11KV power sub station located at Nongpok Ching.

For the past five to six months, power supply has been erratic, with electricity cut off multiple times daily without any prior notice.

The unscheduled power cuts, often lasting one hour, three to four times a day, have become a persistent issue, frustrating the public.

According to officials managing the Nongpok Ching power sub-station, the frequent outages are due to infrastructure damage caused by heavy rains and thunderstorms in recent months.

However, many residents are unsatisfied with this explanation, arguing that the weather-related damages could not be the sole reason for the erratic power supply, especially when the weather condition has improved in the past couple of months.

Citizens have also expressed dissatisfaction over the lack of prior information regarding the outages, with no functional complaint mechanism in place.

While there was previously a mobile number for lodging complaints, it has remained out of service.

About six months ago, Manipur State Power Distribution Company Limited (MSPDCL) officials cited ongoing repairing of a damaged cable in one of the two panels that transmit power from the 400 KV Mega Power Station at Thoubal Khunou to the sub-station as a contributing factor to the power cuts.

Despite claims that repair work is still underway, the issue remains unresolved.

The power sub-station at Nongpok Ching supplies electricity to various areas, including Haokha, Kiyam, Khongahanbi, Tangjeng, Kshetri Leikai Moirangpali, Phuodel, Khangabok, Sabaltongba, Ningombam, Greater Thoubal, Charangpat, and Icham Khunou, However, officials have frequently pointed to a shortage of power.

With Manipur State Power Company Limited (MSPCL) responsible for supplying power to the sub-station, and MSPDCL handling its distribution to the consumers, lack of coordination between the two companies is visible with the two companies blaming one another for the situation.

Despite the full implementation of prepaid meters in the affected areas, residents report no significant improvement in power supply reliability compared to the past postpaid system.

Consumers, who are now paying a fixed monthly rental for the prepaid meters, are particularly frustrated as they continue to face several hours of power outages daily stating that they are paying the monthly rental in excess if the long power outage is taken into account.

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