DoPN issues do’s and don’ts for power consumers in Dimapur

DIMAPUR — With the increasing gap in demand and supply of electricity, the department of Power, Nagaland (DoPN) has come out with a list of do’s and don’ts to create awareness amongst power consumers.

In a press release, the Dimapur electrical division informed that the ever-growing demand of power is fast outstripping the capability and capacity of DoPN to deliver the desired level of services as the department is facing acute shortage of power.

“Dimapur in particular, the commercial and economic hub of the state, is witnessing rapid urbanisation and development. The demand for power is surging exponentially. The soaring unprecedented summer heat, as is being witnessed by all the citizens, is only making the situation more grave by overburdening most of the power assets and infrastructures,” the release stated.

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It also informed that many transformers got damaged and wires snapped in the process during the past few days.

In its endeavour to deliver stable power supply to the citizens of Dimapur, the DoPN requested consumers to adhere to some important Do’s and Don’ts.

Do’s

• Be judicious in the usage of electricity – switch off all electrical appliances when not in use or required.
• Remember to switch off high value electrical appliances during load shedding/power cuts and accordingly switch on high value electrical appliances in a phased manner (five to 10 minutes interval) to avoid the instantaneous surge of high current whenever power is restored.
• Clear the trees and vegetation along the corridors of distribution and transmission lines within one’s vicinity. Always inform the nearest DoPN officer and staff while undertaking such exercises to avoid electrical accidents.
• Consult the concerned officers for clearance before taking up any construction works along the lines to avoid accidents.
• The ward chairmen/village council and all the responsible consumers are requested to assist the department by discouraging the defaulting consumers from using power through hooking, tampering and by-passing of energy meters – as it would deprive genuine consumers of electricity.

Don’ts

• Do not switch on high-wattage electrical appliances simultaneously. Note that the electrical appliances driven by induction motors such as water pumps, deep freezers, refrigerators and compressors of air conditioners draw a current 2.5 to 3 times normal current during initial start-up. Hence, right after the restoration of the power supply if all the appliances are connected simultaneously, the load on the transformer becomes overburdened resulting in the fuse getting burnt which may cause delay of power supply again while restoration of fuse is being carried out. Repeated overloading will ultimately result in the distribution transformers being damaged.
• Do not use inefficient electrical appliances such as incandescent lamps, unrated/non-star-rated appliances and induction heating coils, but always insist on energy efficient five star-rated appliances and low-wattage but efficient LED lamps.