Shillong Feb 3, 2020: Power supply to some parts of Shillong have been interrupted after a 500 KVA distribution transformer at Upper Mawbah was set ablaze by miscreants.
The incident happened on Sunday at around 6.30 am and it was informed that the fire started from the corner of the sub station fencing as miscreants have thrown some inflammable material.
The MeECL customer care was informed at around 7.45 am and as precautionary measure, the power supply was shutdown immediately.
An FIR has been filed by an Assistant Executive Engineer of Area-IV MePDCL, Shillong.
MeECL Chairperson cum Managing Director (CMD), A Nikhla said that pictures of the black smudge on the green and greyish wall seem to indicate that a flaming object/something containing inflammatory object which combusts on impact was thrown at that point.
She informed that the floor immediately below the portion on the wall with the black stain had the maximum impact of burning. It was blackened while the rest of the floor retained its colour.
“This fell into the area of the transformer and set it on fire. The fire was not caused by a short circuit. In case of a short circuit starting from the Low Tension lines (adjacent to the road) the fuses would have melted and power supply to the transformer would be automatically disconnected. In case of a fault in the High Tension lines, the line would have disconnected itself from the sub station providing the power supply. In both cases, a fire would not have occurred,” Nikhla said.
According to the CMD, in case of a fault occurring in the area between the lines and the transformer, the fuse in the transformer would have blown thereby disconnecting the power supply. In this case too, there would have been no occurrence of fire. In case of a fault in the transformer itself and it caught on fire, the body of the transformer would have expanded and swelled up. As can be seen from the pictures,this has not happened and the transformer is intact.
“It is an unfortunate incident as it means power shutdown for many households in the area until it can be repaired,” she said.
Repairs can only be effected after the police have finished investigation at the site.
Stating that the MeECL was in the news for power shutdown and many questions were asked with regard to the same, Nikhla said, “Whether this incident had any connection with such questions or was simply a stray incident is something that only investigation can ascertain. Whatever may be the reason, the fact is that public property intended to provide service by way of power supply has been destroyed. This in turn, is having an impact on the people affected by it.”
Nikhla also said that it would be the endeavour of the MeECL to strive to provide stable and reliable supply of power in the State.
“This will be achievable in part with the help of citizens who care about energy conservation as well as protection of power infrastructure. The power we save today by switching off electrical appliances that are not in use will be the power we can use another day. These may seem like insignificant acts but they will go a long way,” she said, adding that the offices of the MeECL are open to anyone who has questions with regard to its functioning and duties, including its past and present performance.
