Cuttack: The Central Electricity Supply Utility of Odisha (Cesu) has made elaborate arrangements to ensure uninterrupted power supply to Baliyatra fairground here.
“There would not be any problem with regard to power supply to fairground and stalls during Baliyatra,” said Jogesh Tripathy, manager (commerce).
Baliyatra commences November 23.
According to Tripathy, Cesu authorities have installed around 200 utility poles at the fairground to provide power supply to stalls. They have also arranged four diesel generator (DG) sets as backup for any power failure at the ground. “These DG sets can provide power for up to four hours to the stalls. This year, we have provided power connections to more than 800 stalls. The trade fair is expected to consume around 2,000 kilowatt power. We would collect power bills worth Rs 2 lakh from the fair,” said a Cesu official.
The electricity supply utility has taken steps to check power theft at the Baliyatra ground and constituted five special squads. “There would be 10 officials in each squad. They would visit each stall and examine their power consumption. Stalls consuming more power than the permitted level would have to pay penalties,” said the official.
It is learnt that Cesu authorities would open three camps at the fairground to meet any eventuality. “Around 150 electricians and employees would be present at the camps round-the-clock to correct glitches and address issues related to power supply,” said the official.
The electricity supply utility would not provide power connections to vendors who would have installed their stalls alongside the roads at Bali Yatra ground. “No roadside vendor would be allowed to bring power supply illegally from nearby stalls,” said a Cesu source.
Notably, there was a power failure at the fairground during last year’s Baliyatra. The incident had invited sharp reactions from several quarters.
