Correspondent
WOKHA, SEP 30 (NPN): Power supply to the police reserve and adjoining areas of Wokha is expected to be restored from October 1, with a 100 kVA transformer issued for the affected areas scheduled to arrive in Wokha by Wednesday evening, allowing installation work to begin from Thursday.
Electrical division Wokha executive engineer Chenosing Kemp said the transformers supplying the affected areas had been damaged due to overloading and that the department was making efforts to restore power as soon as possible.
The prolonged outage has affected residents of police reserve colony and surrounding areas since September 4, disrupting household activities, studies, work, communication and other essential services.
Speaking to the media at the power office on Wednesday, Kemp said the 100 kVA transformers supplying the NAP camp and public supply had been sent to the transformer repairing centre in Dimapur.
He said the centre handles transformer repairs from across Nagaland, resulting in a waiting period, while the lack of a suitable standby transformer had also delayed restoration.
Kemp said the department had now issued a 100 kVA transformer for the affected areas, which was expected to reach Wokha by the evening, after which installation could begin.
He said a separate 25 kVA transformer supplying the SP office was a departmental asset of the police department and that the repair cost had to be borne by the concerned department.
The transformer was also sent to Dimapur with logistical assistance from the electrical division, and information from the repair centre indicated that repairs had been completed. It would be released after the required payment was made, he said.
Kemp stressed the need for judicious consumption of electricity and urged consumers to cooperate with the department.
He also encouraged the adoption of smart meters, saying improved monitoring and regulation of consumption could help prevent overloading and reduce transformer failures.
Meanwhile, residents affected by the prolonged outage gathered at the Police Reserve ground on September 30 to voice their grievances and highlight the difficulties faced by the affected localities.
A representative of Chanka Colony said residents had approached the department several times but had not received a satisfactory response. He said the prolonged absence of electricity had made basic household activities difficult and affected work, studies, communication and other daily needs.
Speaking on behalf of Police Reserve Colony, another representative appealed for immediate restoration, saying residents did not want the issue to escalate into agitation.
He also raised concerns over the safety of transformer installations, saying some sites lacked adequate fencing and could expose residents to electrical hazards. He said that if non-payment of electricity bills or illegal connections were contributing to excessive load, the department should identify and act against those responsible rather than allowing entire localities to suffer prolonged outages.
Another resident, speaking on behalf of a school, said the financial literacy examination had concluded on September 25, with the online submission portal open from September 28 to 29. The power outage had created difficulties in completing the submission process, he said.
He also pointed to the scheduled submission of Class 10 regular, private and compartmental examination forms from October 1 to 17, saying students could face further difficulties if the outage continued.
The outage has also affected local businesses and wage earners. The resident said traders dealing in chicken, meat and fish were struggling to preserve perishable goods because of non-functioning freezers.
He added that several residents depended on electrical appliances for their livelihoods and that the prolonged outage since September 4 had directly affected their ability to work.
Residents appealed to the power department and other concerned authorities to complete the restoration at the earliest and take measures to prevent similar prolonged outages in the future.