Storm knocks out electricity lines, Gangtok faces power outage for almost 24 hours

GANGTOK, : In a troubling turn of events, State capital Gangtok reeled under a prolonged power outage for almost 24 hours. The blackout, which has plunged the State’s largest city into darkness, has raised serious concerns among residents, businesses, and local authorities.

Power supply to Gangtok snapped at around 5 pm on Wednesday as a powerful storm knocked out trees and branches into the power lines. It was restored at around 4 pm on Thursday.

Eyewitness reports indicate that the outage was triggered by severe weather conditions, which have led to infrastructure damage across the city. Residents have described the situation as chaotic, with many struggling to navigate the darkened streets. Essential services, including hospitals and emergency response teams, are facing operational challenges as they rely on backup generators to maintain critical functions.

Local businesses have been hit hard, with shops and restaurants forced to close early due to the lack of electricity. “We were preparing for a busy evening when the lights went out. It’s devastating for us,” said Rajesh Pradhan, a local restaurant owner.

“We just hope the power is restored soon so we can serve our customers again.”

Residents have taken to social media to voice their frustrations, with many sharing images of fallen trees and damaged power lines. The prolonged outage has also sparked discussions about the need for improved infrastructure resilience in the face of natural calamities.

The electricity supply was out for almost the whole day hindering the day to day work of everyone across the capital and surrounding areas. Power supply to Gangtok was restored at around 4 pm on Thursday.

Speaking with SIKKIMEXPRESS, Power secretary Bikash Deokota informed that the main fault was induced by the storm and strong winds that took place on April 23 evening causing falling of trees, branches, and bamboo on the power lines.

Gangtok and surrounding areas are connected with three circuits and all the three circuits were damaged leading to the power outage.

The Power secretary and senior officials of the department along with the employees were on the field since last night to work on the power restoration work.