Amaravati, Oct 30 Andhra Pradesh Minister G Ravi Kumar on Friday said Telangana and Tamil Nadu had agreed to extend assistance to the state by deploying additional personnel and supplying materials to expedite power restoration in cyclone-hit areas.
Telangana had agreed to deploy around 500 to 600 personnel, while Tamil Nadu had responded positively and was sending teams along with the required materials, he said.
“Telangana and Tamil Nadu have agreed to extend assistance to Andhra Pradesh by providing additional personnel and essential materials to speed up electricity restoration in cyclone-affected areas,” the state Energy minister told PTI Videos.
Kumar said he had spoken to Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, while Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had separately approached neighbouring states seeking assistance.
Officials of the respective power departments were coordinating to assess manpower requirements, availability of materials and deployment locations, he said, adding that assistance was being arranged for the affected areas.
The state government was aiming to restore electricity supply completely by Friday night, with West Godavari and parts of Konaseema remaining the worst-affected areas, Kumar said.
According to him, Cyclone Arnab damaged nearly 15,000 electricity poles, conductors and distribution transformers due to strong winds and heavy rainfall, causing extensive damage to power infrastructure across the state.
Wind speeds reached nearly 160 kmph, affecting almost every village in districts such as East Godavari, West Godavari, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam, Konaseema and Kakinada, he said.
Kumar estimated the damage to power infrastructure at around Rs 500 crore, adding that the figure was preliminary and the department was still assessing the losses.
Strong winds uprooted several large, old trees, which fell on electricity conductors and damaged poles, transformers and other equipment, he said.
Citing the tree-lined road between Vemavaram and Narasapuram, he said several trees had been uprooted, damaging the surrounding area and electricity infrastructure.
Power restoration began immediately after wind speeds and rainfall subsided. Nearly 2,500 personnel from the Andhra Pradesh Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (APSPDCL) were mobilised to assist the Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited (APEPDCL) in the affected areas, he said.
The personnel were initially deployed in Krishna district. After completing restoration work there, they were shifted to East and West Godavari and other severely affected areas.
Restoration had been completed in Eluru, Kakinada, Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Krishna districts, while West Godavari and parts of Konaseema still required extensive work, the minister said.
West Godavari had achieved around 60 per cent restoration by Wednesday night, and the department was aiming to complete the work there by Thursday night, Kumar said.
The department was prioritising restoration in towns and municipalities while simultaneously carrying out work in rural areas, he said.
Electricity supply to aquaculture farmers was also being prioritised alongside household connections, as prolonged outages could cause significant losses. Agricultural and aquaculture connections were being restored simultaneously, he said.
Ahead of the cyclone, the government had positioned around 20,000 electricity poles, transformers and conductors at strategic locations. The materials were stored at mandal headquarters and near substations, rather than only at district headquarters, to ensure their immediate availability for restoration work.
(PTI News)
