Naxal blackout: Power supply restored in Bastar

Raipur, June 12 (UNI) Eleven days after maoist rebels blew up high tension power lines, power supply has been restored today in the tribal Bastar region with the Chhattisgarh State Electricity Board (CSEB) successfully re-installing towers.

CSEB Chairman Rajib Ranjan told UNI that engineers and staff had taken up the task of restoring transmission lines on a war-footing soon after the Maoists blew up the towers on May 31, throwing normal life of more than 2.7 million people into disarray.

''All the three damaged high-tension towers have been re-erected and the power line between Gurur and Basrur had been successfully charged today,'' he said, adding that power supply had been restored in Bastar, Dantewada, Narayanpur and Bijapur districts.

''Despite several odds, including threat from the naxals, our engineers and staff had worked with full dedication to complete the task entrusted to them,'' Mr Ranjan said, adding that all of them would be suitably rewarded.

The CSEB chairman said heavy rains in the region was hampering the work of charging ciruit number two, which he said would be charged by tomorrow. However, efforts were being made to charge this ciruit tonight itself.

Along the 238 km-long Bhilai and Barsur section, Mr Ranjan said, the CSEB had installed hundreds of towers of which 98 km was ''sensitive area'' because of the presence of ultras.

''We are working on a strategy to ensure security of high-tension transmission lines in these areas,'' he said.

Maoist rebels, active in the tribal Bastar region, had targetted infrastructure in a big way on May 31 when they blew up three towers in the Jhargathi forests, plunging the entire Bastar region into darkness.

The lack of power supply had badly affected water supply and even functioning of hospitals.

Besides, it also posed a threat to security personnel, including para-military forces, who faced hardships during the past 11 days due to the blackout.

UNI