Power failure made it a restless Sunday for the people of the State Capital and other areas of Garhwal reeling under a spell of scorching sun. The 220 KV Saharanpur-Nanota power line tripped on second consecutive day on Sunday which triggered a trip in 220 KV Puhana- Roorkee line also, these trips induced a grid failure in Garhwal region for some time.
In the State capital the mercury soared to 390 which is the highest for this season. At 21.4o, the minimum temperature of the day was also more than average minimum. If the residents of the city had decided to ward off the summer heat inside their homes on Sunday, then the Uttarakhand Power Corporation limited (UPCl) had another idea.
A grid failure hit the consumers for two hours in afternoon when the demand was at its peak. The spokesperson of the UPCl, Madhusudan said that the power was restored at 4 pm. He said that areas in the Garhwal except Roorkee were affected by the disturbance. The UPCl spokesperson attributed the trip in the important 220 KV lines to increased load triggered by high demand.
“It was hottest day of this season and the power department played truant by forcing a power cut. My entire Sunday was spoiled,’’ said MPS Bisht, a resident of Raipur road here.
The weathermen have forecast a little relief for the residents of the state capital on Monday. According to them partly to generally cloudy sky would prevail on the day with light rain to thundershowers in some places.
The meteorology department has predicted a maximum temperature of 310 and a minimum of 210 on Monday. For the State the department has predicted that light to light rain/thunderstorm is likely to occur at a few places. A thunder squall which is likely at isolated places in Uttarakhand on Monday.
Meanwhile cloud and thunderstorm were reported in higher reaches of Dehradun on Sunday. A 60-year old man lost his life when lightning struck him near Santala Mata temple near Mussoorie on Sunday. The deceased is identified as Purola resident Murtiram.