AP Govt gears up to face heavy rains

Hyderabad, June 21 (INN): The Andhra Pradesh Government has taken up all precautionary measures in view of expected heavy rains especially in the coastal areas and issued instructions to implement a fool proof mechanism for ensuring accident-free electrical system for the safety of general public which is the utmost priority of the Govt.

Disclosing the above details, Energy Secretary Ajay Jain, along with K Vijayanand, CMD/APTRANSCO & MD/APGENCO and K. Ranganatham, Advisor, Energy, has reviewed the general power supply position and safety measures due to heavy rains with CMDs of DISCOMs R Mutyalaraju and H.Y. Dora.

In this connection, he said that implementation of Emergency Restoration System (ERS) and Under Ground (UG) cabling system is in active consideration by Govt. of AP, initially in coastal areas for withstanding any severities and havoc caused due to cyclones such as 'Hudhud'. The main objective of this programme is to restore the power supply within shortest possible period (24 hours) during cyclones & natural disasters besides ensuring safety & security of general public.

Ajay Jain, further stated that prevention of electrical accidents is the top priority of Govt. and directed DISCOMs to initiate measures for educating consumers especially farmers to safeguard themselves from possible electrical hazards duly keeping away from service wire connections from the Distribution Transformers to the agrl. pump sets as generally more number of electrical accidents take place during the monsoon period. Jain requested power officials/staff not to avail holidays/leave till heavy rains are subsided for extending the best services to the consumers.

The CMD APTRANSCO reiterated that field officers should take up all the precautionary measures and emphasised the need to reinforce preventive maintenance such as i) Ensuring of proper earthing in substations & near Distribution Transformers, ii)Trimming of tree branches near the power lines, iii) Restringing of loose lines, erection of intermediate poles, iv) Providing of stay wires, v)Providing stud poles for support, vi) Replacement of damaged poles etc. Recently electrical mishaps have taken place in few places which are to be avoided at any cost with proper counselling and educating the consumers about the electrical safety measures and precautions especially during the rainy season, said Vijayanand.

CMDs of DISCOMs informed the Govt. that pole to pole inspections are being carried out vigorously to check the condition of poles, insulators, availability of spacers, to remove the foreign materials on the lines and to keep the Centralized Breakdown (CBD) Gangs ready with necessary tools and material to take up the restoration works in case of any eventualities such as falling of poles, snapping of conductors, damage to the transformers etc. CMDs of DISCOMs appealed to general public to cooperate with the local officials in continuing the maintenance works which are in full swing and requested to inform local power officials if any loose lines, damaged poles, sparks observed on line contacts so that necessary action will be taken to rectify them.