Transmission towers: Pylon repairs to start today after security clearance

QUETTA:

The National Transmission and Dispatch Company (NTDC) has finally received security clearance to enter the insurgency-hit Chattar area of Balochistan to repair the two power pylons that militants had blown up, leaving 16 districts of the province without power.

The power crisis continues to trouble the people of Balochistan as the repair of these pylons has yet to start despite lapse of two days.

“The NTDC officials have received security clearance and will start work on the damaged power pylons by Monday morning,” an NTDC official told The Express Tribune on Sunday.

The electricity shortfall has increased to over 1,300MW after insurgents had blown up two power pylons of 220 KV transmission lines double circuit in Chattar area near Dera Murad Jamali in Nasirabad district on Friday night.

An NTDC official in Nasirabad said the labourers or gang of NTDC would reach Chattar by Monday morning and it would take three to four days to finish the job.

The paramilitary Frontier Corps and local administration would provide security to the NTDC gang in the troubled Chattar area where insurgents frequently carry out attacks, even against convoys of security forces.

According to NTDC, it was the third attack this month on the power pylons in Nasirabad. The growers in Bolan, Kalat, Mastung and Khuzdar protested against the prolonged hours of load-shedding. Protesters have blocked National Highway in the Mach area of Bolan for several hours to register their protest against power cuts.

According to Quetta Electricity Supply Company (QESCO), 16 districts of Balochistan are suffering power outages of around 20 to 22 hours, while Quetta is bearing eight to ten hours of shutdowns.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 9^th, 2015.