Power cuts in Agra due to transformer fire

AGRA - Almost half of the Taj city of Agra remained without power for the most part of Sunday after a fire damaged a transformer, an official said.

The incident, ahead of the Commonwealth Games preparations in the city, has caused a power crisis, forcing outages since Saturday night when the 100 MVA transformer at the Sikandra sub-station caught fire, the official said.

Half the city was without power for most part of Saturday night and Sunday. Power cuts of up to eight hours are likely to continue for the next 15 days till the transformer is replaced, the official added.

The 30-year-old transformer caught fire Saturday night and it took firemen several hours to douse the flames.

A official of Dakshinanchal Vidhyut Vitran Nigam Limited (DVVNL), an Uttar Pradesh government undertaking, said it could take 15 days for the situation to normalise.

DVVNL engineer B.S. Tripathi said: “The corporation has made arrangements to shift a transformer from Meerut, which will reach Agra in three to four days. After that the installation and restoration of power supply could take at least 10 days.”

Power is distributed in the Taj city by private player Torrent Limited.

DVVNL officials said arrangements for extra power to Agra were being made from Mathura and other sub-stations in Agra district.

Parts of the city will not be getting power for six to eight hours daily. A new schedule of outages was released Sunday.

“Luckily because of the rains, the power demand has come down,” an official said.

But industrial associations and merchant chambers called for early restoration of the transformer so that there was little disruption of production.

The Agra Development Authority and the municipal corporation have been working on several beautification projects for the Commonwealth Games.

According to estimates of tourism stakeholders, at least one lakh additional visitors, apart from the over 7,000 visitors daily, are expected in the Taj city during the Games.