“Will carry out more extensive jungle clearance,” says EE on Changtongya’s persistent power disruptions

Residents of Changtongya town continue to face frequent and prolonged power outages, sometimes lasting up to 48 hours. Many have expressed growing frustration over what they describe as a long-standing and unresolved issue. Locals allege that even light rain or the mere sign of rainfall is enough to trigger blackouts — a problem they say has persisted for years with little improvement. The power supply, they add, has always been erratic and at times terribly irregular, making it highly unpredictable and difficult to rely on.

In response to public complaints, Mokokchung Times held a discussion with the concerned officials on May 22 to better understand the cause of the irregular power supply.

Executive Engineer Temjensangba of the Changtongya Electrical Division attributed the outages to vegetative clearance operations and natural weather disruptions. “Shut downs happen during vegetative clearance and also during lightning, wind, and thunder,” he said.

The Changtongya Electrical Division currently oversees the power supply to Changtongya, Tuli, and Longleng, with electricity transmitted from Aolichen to Tuli, and then distributed onward. According to the Executive Engineer, the 33kV transmission line passes through difficult terrain and thick jungle, making it vulnerable to environmental factors.

“Whenever it rains or there is wind and thunder, the line tends to get damaged or fall, especially during monsoon season,” he explained, citing topography and forested areas as major challenges.

Residents, however, maintain that the power supply has been unreliable for years and claim they have become accustomed to living with frequent outages.

When asked about the department’s preventive measures, Executive Engineer Temjensangba acknowledged that power interruptions in Changtongya have been a long-standing issue, particularly during monsoon seasons. He said that while annual jungle clearance is already being undertaken to reduce line damage caused by overgrowth, the department now plans to intensify its efforts. “We will carry out more extensive jungle clearance and hope that the frequent interruption will be improved,” he said, assuring that steps will be taken to address the problem more seriously than before.

Regarding cooperation from local villages during these operations, the department noted that communities under Changtongya jurisdiction have been cooperative and have not posed any hindrance to vegetative clearance.

Adding to the explanation, Executive Engineer of the Transmission Division, Er Hekaito Assumi, said the peak electricity demand for Changtongya town is approximately 5 MW.

Giving a general overview of the loadshedding, Assumi said, “Depending upon the availability of power in the Mokokchung Load Centre, load shedding is being carried out on a rotational basis,” he said.

According to Assumi, around 17–18 MW of electricity is available in the grid, which is then distributed to multiple districts: about 7 MW to Tuensang, 6 MW to Zunheboto, 8–9 MW to Mokokchung, and 9–10 MW to Mon. Based on this distribution, rotational load shedding is implemented.

“Sometimes, along with the load shedding, we also carry out vegetation clearance, which explains the blackouts,” Assumi explained. He added that the single-line transmission routes — particularly Mokokchung–Tuli–Naginimora–Tizit–Mon and Tuli–Changtongya — are vulnerable and often break during inclement weather. “We keep clearing the forest area as much as we can, but it keeps breaking,” he said.

On the issue of repair, Assumi denied there was a severe manpower shortage but admitted that they “require a little more.” He also pointed out that at times, some villages resist granting Right of Way during vegetation clearance, complicating efforts to maintain the lines.

MT