Chandigarh Power Supply Gradually Returns to Normal After Major Weather-Induced Breakdown
Chandigarh witnessed a gradual return to normalcy in electricity supply on Saturday, just a day after a major power breakdown crippled nearly the entire city. While the overall network stabilized significantly, residents of several localities continued to report isolated disruptions and intermittent power issues throughout the day.
Severe Weather Causes Widespread Damage to Power Infrastructure
The massive disruption was triggered by Friday's severe weather conditions, which included heavy rainfall and high-speed winds recorded at up to 74 kilometers per hour. The extreme weather uprooted numerous trees and electricity poles while damaging overhead wires across multiple sectors of the city. According to power utility officials, the impact of this weather event continued to affect parts of Chandigarh through Saturday, with some areas experiencing power supply disruptions for more than 20 to 24 hours.
Complaint Numbers Show Significant Improvement
Official data reveals the scale of the power crisis and subsequent recovery. On Friday, when the breakdown was at its peak, a staggering 3,144 complaints of no electricity were registered with the authorities. By Saturday, this number had reduced substantially to 905 complaints reported during the day. Restoration efforts varied across different sectors, with electricity supply in some areas being restored only during the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, while in other locations, faults were rectified by Friday morning itself.
Resident Welfare Bodies Express Concern and Suggestions
The widespread power outage triggered strong reactions from resident welfare organizations across Chandigarh. Hitesh Puri, chairman of Crawfed, confirmed that the outage impacted almost all sectors of the city. He attributed the collapse of the electricity network to what he described as a natural calamity, specifically highlighting trees falling on power lines as a primary cause.
Puri emphasized that Crawfed had advised power authorities to coordinate more closely with the Municipal Corporation horticulture department to regularly trim trees that pose a threat to power infrastructure. This type of effect of weather is not new to our city and can occur at any time, he noted, suggesting that preventive measures could mitigate future disruptions.
Vinod Vashisht, convener of the City Forum of Residents Welfare Organizations (CFORWO), provided an update on Saturday's situation, stating that while some residents still faced disruptions, most areas reported normalcy in power supply by afternoon.
Power Utility's Restoration Strategy and Current Status
Chandigarh Power Distribution Limited (CPDL), the city's power utility, reported that by Saturday afternoon, the overall network had stabilized with no active breakdowns or major tripping incidents. A CPDL spokesperson explained that only minor breakdowns and transient faults were recorded during the day, with some emergency shutdowns implemented as precautionary safety measures.
These shutdowns were required to facilitate restoration and normalisation works following fault rectification, the spokesperson clarified. The duration of such shutdowns was brief and did not result in prolonged inconvenience to consumers.
The utility confirmed that the 11 kV high-tension system was operating normally, while field teams continued attending to pending issues related to the low-tension network and individual consumer complaints across different sectors.
Focus on Quality Restoration and Future Preparedness
CPDL emphasized that their restoration approach prioritized safe and quality repairs rather than temporary fixes, aiming to strengthen the overall power distribution network for greater resilience. The utility is closely monitoring the situation through multiple technological systems, including:
- A centralized Command Centre for coordination
- An Intelligent Outage Management System for real-time monitoring
- CRM-based complaint management tools for efficient response
These systems ensure better coordination among field teams and timely communication with consumers during restoration efforts.
Ongoing Efforts Toward Complete Normalization
With stabilization efforts continuing throughout Saturday, officials confirmed that remaining isolated issues would be addressed through sector-wise follow-ups until complete normalization is achieved. The power utility remains committed to restoring full service while implementing measures to prevent similar widespread disruptions in the future, particularly during severe weather conditions that Chandigarh periodically experiences.
