Another day of blackout, albeit in a short spell was experienced by the people in five districts under the jurisdiction of EPDCL on Tuesday. Unlike Monday, the first day of blackout imposed by the distribution company following strike by the 8,000-odd employees, power was restored at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. It was restored at 11 p.m. on Monday on an appeal by the district administration.
The impact was very severe on Monday with emergency services in the hospitals getting affected. “Today we ensured supplies for emergency services by supplying 30 per cent of the quota. Industries having direct phases such as Visakhapatnam Steel Plant also had a normal supply during the day. Drinking water supply was our top priority in the morning,” EPDCL Director (Projects) V. Krishna, who is holding additional charge of operations, said.
As a precautionary measure, the authorities have decided to restrict supply to the industries during the evening. Asked to comment whether there would be blackout in supply on Wednesday, an official said it all depended on the decision of Seemandhra Vidyut Employees Joint Action Committee, which gave a call for flash strike by electricity employees from Monday. VSP officials heaved a sigh of relief as the connection with the State Grid was restored on Tuesday. “Our production was normal,” an official said. Visakhapatnam Port, which was forced to shut down Ore Handling Complex and kept 20 of the 22 electric cranes due to power shortage, had a better show on Tuesday in handling cargo.
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Units at Visakhapatnam Special Economic Zone, IT SEZ, Rushikonda and Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City suffered to a large extent.