Mohali: A fire damages the Majri power grid

This morning, a fire completely destroyed one of the two transformers of the Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL) 66KV Majra Grid in Mullanpur, rendering several neighboring villages without electricity for more than five hours.

After an explosion at around six in the morning, a large fire broke out in one of the transformers. Authorities said that “the transformer push failed,” which resulted in the enormous fire. After three hours of fighting, more than eight fire tenders from Kharar and the surrounding districts managed to put out the fire.

Locals said that a massive explosion started the fire, sending them into a panic. After hearing the explosion, locals gathered close to the grid to see the flames shooting out of it. Smoke rising from the grid in the early hours of the morning was seen for kilometers.

In order to prevent more damage, authorities tripped the Mullanpur and Seonk grids, leaving the Mullanpur region without electricity until midday.

The grid connected high-profile locations including an Air Force base and a cancer hospital to the electricity supply. It was run and controlled by Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL), a Punjab government enterprise. Within an hour, officials claimed, a backup power supply scheme for vulnerable areas was put back in place. But in the evening, electricity was restored in a few villages and in a portion of Naya Gaon.

Until late at night, PSPCL officials, senior PSTCL officials, and others were busy assessing the situation. Fire tenders have been stationed there as a safety precaution in case of an emergency.

“An alternative arrangement for power has been made,” said Jaswinder Singh, Executive Engineer, Ropar Division. The agency is estimating the loss in this significant fire. After the fire was put out at approximately nine o’clock at night, work on restoring the energy supply got underway. The area’s supply has finally been restored.