Three days after Phailin, life in Silk City still in disarray

Brahmapur,Oct 15:

Normal life is in disarray in this worst-cyclone affected district of Odisha, with electricity supply yet to be restored and banks and other public offices remaining shut three days after the deadly storm.

Electric poles and mobile towers had fallen in the strong cyclonic winds on Saturday night, snapping power supply as well as internet and telephone lines.

Long queues are being witnessed at petrol pumps which have resumed partial services since last evening.

“There is absolutely no electricity for the last four days. The inverters are not working and there is no easy availability of diesel to run generator sets,” Pramod Jena, a local resident, said.

Even water from municipal corporation pipelines cannot be pumped and stored overhead as there is no electricity, he said.

District Collector Krishan Kumar told PTI that work is on “full swing” to repair power lines and operationalise sub-stations.

“There is electricity problem. We are working on it and partial restoration of power service is expected in a day or two. This will ease many things,” said Kumar, whose office is running on power from diesel genset.

Bank branches and ATM booths in the district are also closed as the links to the main servers are down, officials said.

However, local markets are beginning to show activity with essential items like milk and vegetables being supplied in almost all the areas of this district.

“We are getting supplies of vegetables but the prices are high. Once goods start arriving from Bhubaneshwar and Andhra Pradesh, the prices would come down,” Pavitra Kumar, a hotel owner said.

Public transport like three-wheelers and buses are also running, although with reduced frequency, an official said. (PTI)