Indore (Madhya Pradesh): A serious incident affecting the power transmission system has come to light in the Banganga area of Indore.
Unknown miscreants allegedly damaged a 132 kV extra high tension underground cable supplying electricity to the Metro project and also cut and stole critical earthing cables installed for safety.
The incident briefly raised concerns over the reliability of power supply to the Metro project as well as parts of the city.
According to available information, the 132 kV MR-10 Metro substation receives power from the 220 kV Jaitpura substation through a double-circuit transmission line.
After repeated tripping was reported in one circuit of the line, technical teams carried out a patrol and inspection.
During the inspection, the underground cable laid for road crossing between Monopole No. 50 on MR-10 Road and the Metro substation was found damaged in one phase.
Preliminary findings suggest that unidentified persons tampered with the cable, leading to the damage.
Due to the incident, one circuit of the transmission line has gone out of service. Electricity supply is currently being maintained through an alternative arrangement.
However, dependence on a single circuit has raised concerns about the reliability of power supply to some critical areas of the city.
Earthing cables also stolen
During the inspection, it was also found that four earthing cables connected from the earthing box near Monopole No. 50 to the ground had been cut and stolen.
Experts say the earthing system is an essential safety component of any high-voltage transmission system, and operating such lines without proper earthing can be risky.
Major accident narrowly averted
Technical experts stated that if a fault had occurred at the time of the tampering, a fault current of several thousand amperes could have flowed through the system.
This could have been fatal for the persons involved in cutting the cable and might also have disrupted power supply from the 220 kV Jaitpura substation to several other substations, potentially leading to widespread outages in Indore.
Complaint lodged with police
Officials of the power transmission company have lodged a complaint at Banganga police station against unidentified persons.
Police have started an investigation, while technical teams are working to repair the damaged cable so that the line can be restored to full capacity at the earliest.
