Days after Cyclone Dana raged through Odisha, several districts in continue to lack electricity. Around 50,000 households in cyclone-hit areas in Kendrapara, Bhadrak, and Balasore districts remain without power, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has said. In Bhadrak, residents are paying Rs 20 per hour to use private generators to charge their cell phones in the aftermath of the storm, while restoration work is still being done. Cyclone Dana severely damaged infrastructure with hundreds of electric poles destroyed and 22.84 lakh homes left without power supply. Although officials claim to have restored electricity to over 90% of households, rural communities continue to struggle with power shortages.
Cyclone Dana struck between Bhitarkanika and Dhamra coastlines, bringing heavy rains and winds of up to 120 km/h that damaged homes, destroyed trees, and dropped power poles. According to local officials, rehabilitation is still underway after 218 poles dropped down in Bhadrak alone. (TOI)
The goal, according to Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, is to quickly restore services to the remaining areas.
Energy Minister K V Singh Deo reaffirmed that more than 90% of the restoration work is finished and that full coverage is anticipated soon.
Briefing reporters on Sunday evening after reviewing the post-cyclone situation, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the restoration work has reached the last stage and obstructions on roads have been removed.
Power supply has been restored in 98 per cent of the affected areas. Out of 22.84 lakh power consumers affected by the cyclone, power supply has been restored in 22.32 lakh households. Nearly 50,000 households of Kendrapara, Bhadrak and Balasore districts are yet to get back power supply as the villages remained marooned, he stated.
For restoration of power supply in the affected areas, about 7,000 workers have been engaged and they are working hard to restore power in those areas as well, Majhi said.
More than 8 lakh people in the cyclone-affected areas had been evacuated to 6,210 shelter centres. Most of them have returned to their homes after the situation became normal, he said.