Mohali, May 4: A severe hailstorm and heavy rainfall on Sunday caused extensive destruction to Punjab’s power distribution network, resulting in an estimated financial loss of Rs 8 crore. The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited reported that nearly 1,500 electricity poles were broken, with Mohali, Patiala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Amritsar, and Gurdaspur emerging as the most severely impacted districts.
The storm’s intensity led to the damage of over 300 transformers and affected more than 70 kilometers of high-tension and low-tension lines. Additionally, a 220 kV transmission tower sustained significant structural damage. While the 66 kV transmission network remained largely operational, the distribution grid faced a major setback, with approximately 1,300 11-kV feeders suffering outages.
“The power outage rate has increased three times compared to the same period last year,” an official report stated. In response to the crisis, the power utility received more than 83,000 complaints from across the state. Authorities maintained that 70 percent of these grievances were addressed within two hours, though restoration in other areas was delayed by the scale of the infrastructure collapse.
