Total blackout likely in Kohima & Tseminyu dists, parts of Wokha
After the disruption in Likimro Hydroelectric Project (HEP) since the early hours of April 20, due to theft of some mechanical parts, another incident involving theft was reported, following which one tower– AP No. 16 of 132 kV single circuit of the crucial Wokha-Sanis transmission line– collapsed in the early hours of April 27, near Riphyim old area in Wokha district.
According to DIPR, the Department of Power (DoP), stated that during inspection by the officials of the department and district administration, it was discovered that tack welded nuts and bolts of the tower members were cut and removed, that resulted in the collapse of the tower. The department deemed the collapse as a clear intention to steal tower parts by miscreants, leading to disruption in the power supply. It was also found that the adjacent towers (no. 15 and 17) were on the verge of collapse as the bracings of the towers had also been stolen.
DoP also informed that this particular 132kV Kohima-Wokha-Sanis-Doyang transmission line was constructed for evacuation of power from the Doyang HEP and was an important element of the State Power Transmission Grid with connectivity to the state capital. However, the line could not be commissioned for many years due to theft of materials and damage of several towers at various locations between Wokha and Doyang. DIPR said with great hardship, difficulty and struggle the department restored the line in 2016, after incurring huge expenditure in the process.
With the collapse of this tower, the DoP has cautioned that in the event of any line fault or power outages on the 132 kV transmission line between Dimapur, Kohima and Karong (Manipur), the state capital along with the entire Kohima and Tseminyu districts, and upper range of Wokha district, including Wokha town, would plunge into total/complete blackout.
It also said power supply would be adversely affected in the upper range of Wokha and Tseminyu districts in case of any breakdowns/outages in Kohima-Wokha Transmission line.
It may be noted that this was the second such incident this month. On April 20, the 66 kV double circuit transmission line tower collapsed near Pungro town due to theft of tower parts, disrupting the evacuation of power from Likimro HEP.
The tower collapse incident has put the department in a very critical situation while its staff were working on war footing to restore the towers that collapsed earlier. DoP has assured that it was committed to provide reliable and stable power supply to the consumers despite many constraints and limitations. The department also expressed dismay at such acts of sabotage to public property, depriving the public of essential services.
DoP informed it has already lodged an FIR with the police and appealed all village councils concerned, civil society organisations (CSOs) and all stakeholders to cooperate and assist the law enforcing agencies to book the culprits at the earliest.
The department said it was putting in all efforts to restore the line at the earliest and sought cooperation from all concerned.
