Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 24 June 2024
Katchal Island has been plunged into darkness for more than two days due to a complete power blackout that began on June 22, 2024. Efforts by the Electricity Department to restore power have so far been unsuccessful.
The outage was caused by a fault in the island’s only working diesel generator, which the Electricity Department staff have been working tirelessly to repair. Despite their best efforts, the generator remains non-operational, and additional staff dispatched to the island have also been unable to rectify the issue.
While the island’s Primary health Center (PHC) initially struggled without power, the Electricity Department managed to repair the PHC’s diesel generator yesterday, ensuring emergency power for patient care. Similarly, the department restored mobile services by fixing the diesel generator of BSNL at Katchal.
Nevertheless, homes and offices across Katchal Island remain without electricity. The prolonged outage has caused significant disruption, with local traders reporting substantial losses as their frozen goods have spoiled.
Residents are urgently requesting the administration to take all possible measures to restore power to the island as soon as possible.