[digitalnirvana]

Originally Posted by SnakemanJohny

CESC supremo, being the biggest industrialist to back the government (most others have fled Bengal), can get away with murder -- almost.

Things are turning sour for him apparently, from being a recipient of Bengals Best award to now this. The Mayor and higher ups have squarely put the blame on CESC and said they and not the municipal corporation is at fault.

Interestingly even the privatization of CESC is being brought up as a reason now by the powers that be. Thought it happened decades ago? Either way, their monopoly is definitely not good for the customer. We pay one of the highest unit rates in the country.

[Fordlover88]

Originally Posted by digitalnirvana

Things are turning sour for him apparently, from being a recipient of Bengals Best award to now this. The Mayor and higher ups have squarely put the blame on CESC and said they and not the municipal corporation is at fault.

It is very easy to put the blame on someone just to hide your own in abilities. Agreed that CESC could have been more prepared or increased the workforce to make up for reduced manpower. But KMC is no saint either. They don't have enough infrastructure to manage this mass destruction. But as KMC is mostly managed by ministers of the cabinet, they resorted to the easiest solution i.e put the whole blame on CESC. Instead of blaming CESC they could have helped them with the required infrastructure. Restoration could have been much easier in this scenario. CESC is a power distribution utility. It doesn't have infrastructure to cut those huge trees and neither it's supposed to have. That is very much KMC's job which they are trying to run away from.

[Samfromindia]

My parents staying at Rashbehari Avenue Kolkata faced no issues post cyclone except fiber broadband connection going kaput and the latch of garage gate getting broken. Thankfully we had another latch at top & able to lock the gate. Electricity is always there & broadband will get restored hopefully by Tuesday. Vodafone calls / data are working albeit at slower rate. However some places are badly affected as evident from the plethora of pics & videos shared. There used to be two large trees in front of my house, however they were cut down many years back as part of road widening plan by the government. I guess that saved some potential damage which might have happened.

[DaptChatterjee]

Originally Posted by digitalnirvana

The Mayor and higher ups have squarely put the blame on CESC and said they and not the municipal corporation is at fault.

Originally Posted by Fordlover88

It is very easy to put the blame on someone just to hide your own in abilities. CESC is a power distribution utility. It doesn't have infrastructure to cut those huge trees and neither it's supposed to have. That is very much KMC's job which they are trying to run away from.

The problem with the argument in putting all the blame on CESC is that the situation is equally bad in WBSEDCL areas too. I am not even talking about remote areas in Sundarban. Many places in my hometown Barasat were without electricity till today evening. Heard the situation is similar in Barrackpore and elsewhere.

[Fordlover88]

Originally Posted by DaptChatterjee

Many places in my hometown Barasat were without electricity till today evening. Heard the situation is similar in Barrackpore and elsewhere.

Exactly, but the media is high on heels after CESC as it a burning topic and brings in more TRP. Considering the damage of such extent, restoration is bound to take time. But everything is branded as CESC's inefficiency now.

[digitalnirvana]

Originally Posted by Fordlover88

It is very easy to put the blame on someone just to hide your own in abilities. That is very much KMC's job which they are trying to run away from.

Originally Posted by DaptChatterjee

The problem with the argument in putting all the blame on CESC is that the situation is equally bad in WBSEDCL areas too.

I am fully in agreement with you gents! But we cannot speak out, because certainly we will be marked with a certain political colour. Such is the vendetta and violence in Bengal politics.

The local administration has gone AWOL. Completely missing - across the state. The only feeble attempts at crowd management and damage control are being done by local police and NOT the municipal corporations. They're nowhere to be seen.

In my relatives place the local paara people cut trees and the CESC contractors worked over 36 hours to restore power. They were working on empty stomachs and were even fed by the localites. While the chiefs can indulge in blame game their contract labourers are working non stop.

It's the army who are clearing roads and cutting trees in Calcutta but just think of the trouble brewing in the districts where they aren't there.

[Fordlover88]

Originally Posted by digitalnirvana

I am fully in agreement with you gents! But we cannot speak out, because certainly we will be marked with a certain political colour. Such is the vendetta and violence in Bengal politics.

You are right. Every action has a political turn here. "CESC's(which is more than a decade old company) privatisation during the previous ruling party" is a lively example of that. This entire blame game is bringing us down. Had they not stuck to their ego and asked for army help earlier, things could have been much better now.

[ABHI_1512]

Truth be told, nobody in the administration and the power distribution companies anticipated the kind of destruction that the cyclone inflicted. The poor response of the administration and the power distribution companies after the cyclone is a prime example of how not to approach a natural calamity and that too in times of COVID-19. When the whole focus should be on restoration of utilities after the cyclone, the people in responsible positions are busy talking non sensical shenanigans whipping up sentiments. I hope better sense prevails and basic amenities are restored as soon as possible !

[SnakemanJohny]

Originally Posted by digitalnirvana

Things are turning sour for him apparently, from being a recipient of Bengals Best award to now this. Interestingly even the privatization of CESC is being brought up as a reason now by the powers that be. Thought it happened decades ago? Either way, their monopoly is definitely not good for the customer. We pay one of the highest unit rates in the country.

As far as I know, CESC was always a private firm -- a British firm (Incorporated in England) whose control was transferred to the Goenkas in the 1970s, approximately 50 years ago. Since this happened during the left reign, those in power now may raise questions, I do not know where or how. Power was restored temporarily 60 hrs after one of my trees fell on overhead wires, another smashed my dish antenna.

That tree is still hanging over the wires into one neighbour's house, and his daughter-in-law is raising ruckus over FB, WhatsApp, etc. about owner's (mine ) lack of action. Tree cutters are also much sought after now, and the ones I contact reassure me that they will come, but after more urgent jobs of public passages. Three other trees uprooted inside my compound, one coconut palm and many branches in the pond !

As for the CESC blame game, it may be one pet child (Mayor KMC) blaming another (Chairman,CESC) ! Sibling rivalry ?

[Sutripta]

And a sudden fierce storm in Calcutta, at least South Calcutta.

Sutripta

[vharihar]

Originally Posted by vharihar

That's not exactly a feather in Blore's cap! The reason why power is shut down in Blore in even the slightest of rains, is bcoz an overwhelming majority of Blore domestic power supply is via overhead bare cables, often running within 3 feet of one's window. Very dangerous, besides many other negatives (enables power theft, increases distribution losses even if not for theft, looks ugly, very unreliable, poles take space of footpath, etc).

In Mumbai, it is 100% underground cabling, so power is never ever shutdown even in very severe storms.

Dunno about Kolkata. Being British planned originally like Mumbai, I thought even Kolkata might be similar.

It'll be instructive to see how Mumbai responds to Nisarga, as regards disruption of power. I wouldn't be surprised if there is absolutely no disruption, and yet things being quite safe (ie. No or minimal electrocution cases).

LATER UPDATE:
Nisarga seems to be sparing Mumbai, so may not be fair to compare power disruption in Mumbai with that caused by the deadly Amphan in Kolkata

[ABHI_1512]

Originally Posted by vharihar

LATER UPDATE:
Nisarga seems to be sparing Mumbai, so may not be fair to compare power disruption in Mumbai with that caused by the deadly Amphan in Kolkata

The amount of air time spent on describing a cyclone which barely touched Mumbai is a lesson in apathy by the mainstream media channels. The media coverage was an insult to the lives lost in the super cyclone Amphan and the battering received by the people of Calcutta. It was laughable to see the national media reporting the fall of the first tree in Alibuag and Mumbai when we the people of Calcutta were bereft of electricity, water and no mobile network for almost a week at some places. People had no clue about the residents for days and no media reported that at all. And to think of it now, some folks from Mumbai were taking tips on how to survive a cyclone from me the other night

[SnakemanJohny]

Calcutta power supply is fully underground, but the street lamp posts carry an ugly jungle of telephone, cable TV, and internet cables.
Twin city (former industrial suburb, coolie town) Howrah, also served by the same CESC (Goenka Group) has nearly all overhead lines -- same ugly mess, a few feet from window etc. But the lines are very robust, and never go off except in case of a breakage caused by trees fallen on cables etc. That happened galore during Amphan.

The WB state electricity distribution coprn, serving the rest of Bengal also has overhead lines, subject to the same power theft, transmission losses etc issues, and are switched off at the slightest hint of a storm. This time, cables were broken, posts uprooted, and even transformers brought crashing down in many areas. Power is being restored in some Sunderbans areas right now, some twenty days later. Worst predictions are SIX MONTHS in some places. In many villages local people are taking up the jobs of replanting posts, stringing cables etc.

WB distribution/repair gangs are too few, ill equipped, and scared to venture into areas without power in fear of being roughed up.
Even in Calcutta & Howrah, CESC teams refused to move without police protection as they were being gheraoed, held prisoners till they restored power by hook or crook (mostly in makeshift ways). While working in one locality, people from neighbouring areas would wait patiently to escort the 'line gang', often dropping from fatigue, to their spot next !