On the eve of one year of Hudhud making a landfall at Visakhapatnam, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu stressed the need for developing indigenous Emergency Restoration Systems (ERS) in the power sector along the lines of similar mechanisms adopted by western countries.
He exhorted public sector power utilities to be prepared to restore power supply within 24 hours of a calamity without comprising on the quality of power, according to a press release issued by State Energy Conservation Mission CEO A. Chandra Sekhar Reddy.
Mr. Naidu said a special course on disaster management in power sector would be introduced in the proposed energy university coming up in the capital city of Amaravati.
Round-the-clock relief operations by 10,000 personnel during Hudhud would be a case study for future generations, he said.
The cost of laying underground cables in the coastal areas was pegged at Rs. 10,000 crore.
A sum of Rs. 50 crore had been sanctioned for developing ERS in cyclone-prone areas and 25 towers have been kept ready for any emergencies.
Besides, gas-insulated and indoor substations have been planned in cities and towns and transmission lines in coastal areas were being designed to withstand wind velocity exceeding 300 kmph.
