Unveiling the Impact: Transmission Line Collapse Stemming from Tower Parts Theft.

According to the electricity department of Nagaland, there has been a disruption in power generation at the Likimro Hydroelectric Project (HEP) since the early hours of April 20. The reason behind the disruption was the theft of tower parts, which led to the collapse of one of the 66kV double circuit towers on the 66kV Kiphire-Likimro Transmission Line close to Pungro town in Kiphire district. An integral component of the State power transmission grid, the 66kV Kiphire-Likimro Transmission Line is necessary for the evacuation of Likimro HEP. The government agency is making a concerted effort to rebuild the toppled towers. The public should refrain from stealing assets in this way and should hope that the offenders are apprehended quickly.

Several asset thefts have been reported in northern India. This type of theft is common in African countries also, where power lines are to be drawn through uninhabited places for a very long distance. The chances of close surveillance of the Distribution company officials are very remote and the perpetrators have enough time to topple a tower or steal a transformer itself. Several accidents have also been reported in such cases.

In Kanpur, police arrested a gang of antisocial elements who stole distribution transformers. Gangs of thieves stealing oil from transformers are active in many parts of Northern India, especially Punjab causing embarrassment to the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and inconvenience to the public as the supply of electricity has been disrupted during the past few days. PSPCL said a gang with technical knowledge to extract oil from transformers appeared to be active in the state. According to the PSPCL, a transformer outside the District Administration Complex got damaged as its oil was stolen twice within a week. The transformer at Green Avenue also got damaged due to the theft of oil. All these transformers were located at prominent places where CCTV cameras had been installed. Punjab has seen a sudden spurt in transformer thefts, which is causing trouble for the already financially starved Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL). Thieves, adopting new ways to steal transformers, have become active in the state, causing losses worth over Rs 500 million per annum and resulting in power interruptions, especially in villages. In a majority of the cases, the transformers installed on the village outskirts or at secluded places are stolen. By the time the complaints are registered, the thieves dismantle the instruments, leaving no trace.