By Our Special Correspondent
Shillong: The premier central university of the region – North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) was plunged into darkness on Sunday afternoon at about 2 pm. This is the first time that the University is without power for over 24 hours and will perhaps remain without power for the next two days.
The reason for the power failure is the collapse of the 3 MW transformer, which NEHU maintenance staff and engineers claim was hit by lightning on Sunday.
A second standby transformer which should have been immediately activated failed to start-up as it has been out of service since November-December last year and has not been repaired.
While power to NEHU is supplied by MeCEL distribution and maintenance is done by the University engineers and a slew of maintenance staff. The entire campus is without light for over 24 hours and also without water since overhead tanks could not be pumped due to the power failure.
Agitated teachers and students met the Vice Chancellor, Prof AN Rai to demand answers. Later the VC, teachers and students visited the transformer site to assess the situation.
Sources in NEHU said that university authorities on Sunday evening requisitioned the services of two engineers from General Electric Company (GEC), Tinsukia.
They arrived at 10.30 am on Monday. After inspecting the transformers the engineers concluded that the reason for the breakdown was not due to lightning strike but because of poor maintenance of the panels etc.
Meanwhile the University is making arrangements to purchase a 3 MW transformer from Guwahati at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore.
“But this would take some time,” Prof Rai told The Shillong Times on Monday adding that as a stop-gap arrangement the authorities have purchased a 1 MW transformer which would be arriving on Tuesday evening. He hoped that power would be restored, though partially, once this 1 MW transformer is installed. What has intrigued many is why NEHU is alienated from MeECL since the surrounding areas drawing power from the Corporation are lit up whereas NEHU is an island of darkness. Besides, MeECL has its own transformer repair workshop. The two engineers from GEC were categorical in their findings that the transformers were never maintained and the circuit breakers had actually given way due to this sheer lack of maintenance. NEHU has been receiving grants from the University Grants Commission (UGC) for uninterrupted power supply. This grant comes as part of NEHU’s status as a University with the Potential for Excellence. NEHU got an amount of Rs 2 crore sometime in 2009 for this purpose. For the next tranche NEHU is expected to get Rs 50 crore from the UGC out of which an amount of Rs 2.7 crore is allocated for uninterrupted power supply. NEHU sources say that these amount have evidently not been used for the purpose they were meant for. Even the generators for activating the water pumping systems are not working, it is learnt, leaving the over 2000 population of NEHU not just without electricity but also without water. What is worrying is that there are 22 hostels in the campus out of which 8 are girls’ hostels which are today in pitch darkness. NEHU also has hostels for undergraduate students. The hostel wardens on Monday met the Campus Welfare Committee which passed a resolution that it would not be safe to keep the hostels open as long as power is not restored. But it is the Research scholars who are at their wits end. Speaking to this scribe a research scholar said the School Boards are meeting soon and students are working on their PhD synopsis but the laboratories which have now gone without power would have destroyed much of the ongoing experimental research. This, they said, would hamper the careers of many of the research students.
Meanwhile the senior faculty of NEHU has said that this crisis which is unprecedented in the university’s history should be probed and those responsible for this power failure should be held accountable and given exemplary punishment. Those in the know have been apprehensive that such a situation would arise since NEHU has of late been cutting cost on everything even while the energy consumption has gone up substantially with the coming up of new.