Puri to be first Odisha town with 24X7 power supply by Mar

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Puri, Dec 15:

Frequent power outages and loosely hanging transmission lines will soon be a thing of the past in Odisha’s pilgrim town Puri. The coastal town will have power supply through underground cables, which would ensure uninterrupted power supply even in times of strong winds and cyclones, by March next year.

“Puri will soon have the most advanced supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system, something even Bhubaneswar does not have, to deliver power in a reliable and safe manner  through underground cables,” said Suresh Chandra Mohapatra, principal secretary Energy.

“In case of power failure in a particular area, supplies can be automatically made from other grid stations which will be interconnected ensuring 24-hour power supply,” he said adding nearby tourist places will also be provided with power through underground cables under the project.

With an aim to provide uninterrupted power during the grand Nabakalebar festival of Lord Jagannath next year, the Odisha government has undertaken the ambitious project at a cost of Rs 305 crore.

An outlay of Rs 114 crore has been earmarked for renovation of 11 KV, 33 KV supply systems and grid substations, sourcesin the Energy department said. The pilgrim town is being connected with a second feeder. Work on the project, which has been entrusted to L & T, is in progress on a war footing with a target to complete it by March 2015, the sources said.

“There will be no loosely hanging wires. We expect to remove all electric poles by March after testing of the system is completed. Work is going on in full speed. There will be no power disruptions after the system is put in place,” said D Padmanav, project manager L&T.