Sahadev Dey
Diglipur, 16 April 2024
Diglipur, a prominent town in the North and Middle Andaman District, finds itself in the grips of an escalating electricity crisis as the nation gears up for the forthcoming General Elections to Lok Sabha. The roots of this crisis trace back to a decision made in December 2023, when Swaraj Dweep, a renowned tourist destination in the archipelago, faced an acute shortage of power.
In a bid to alleviate the crisis on Swaraj Dweep, the Electricity Department took the interim measure of relocating a 1500 KVA DG Set from Diglipur to Swaraj Dweep. However, this decision wasn’t without its controversy. Protests erupted in Diglipur against the relocation, but after deliberations with Electricity Department authorities, public representatives reluctantly consented, under the assurance that the DG Set would be reinstalled in Diglipur by 1st Week of February 2024.
It was anticipated that the Hydroelectric Project powered by Kalpong River would sustain the region’s power needs until March 2024, the DG set would be re-installed by 1st Week of February 2024 and the region would not face power crisis. However, despite assurances from the Electricity Department, the promised reinstallation of the DG Set in Diglipur did not materialise even two months after the stipulated timeframe.
Now, Diglipur finds itself grappling with an imminent power crisis ahead of the impending General Elections. Reports indicate sporadic power outages across different areas, with the Electricity Department resorting to disconnected supply at varying times of the day. The repercussions of these outages extend beyond domestic inconvenience, with local businesses, particularly shopkeepers, bearing the brunt of prolonged power cuts.