The State run Madhya Pradesh Power Transmission Company has set up 132 kV sub-station to ensure quality electricity supply in remote tribal areas of Mandla district bordering Chhattisgarh state.
With the synchronizing of this new sub-station at Bichhiya has resolved the low voltage issue faced by the consumers in the remote areas including Ghutas and Kudela.
According to the officials many tribal families are taking interest in purchasing electric pumps for irrigation with quality power supply ensured in remote areas as earlier only few families were using pumps to irrigate agriculture field.
The power is supplied to 40000 consumers in remote located 316 villages from the new sub-station. The highest number 22640 consumers residing in 203 villages are in Kudela areas
Prior to this new sub-station, the power transmission was done from the district headquarter Mandla and adjoining Nainpur to remote areas – Bichhiya, Kudela and Ghutas.
The power transmission lines crossed dense forests including reserved forest areas making difficult to repair faults and often complaints of low voltage supply was reported.
From the new sub-station the power transmission lines distance to this places is reduced to 81 kilometers against earlier 146 kilometers for Kudela, 200 meters against earlier 50 kilometers for Bichhiya and 16 kilometers against earlier 66 kilometers for Ghutas.
Madhya Pradesh Power Transmission Company (High Tension) Chief Engineer RK Khandelwal said it was very challenging task to lay 44 kilometers double circuit lines between Mandla and Bichhiya crossing a patch of 5.256 kilometers dense and reserve forest area. A permission was taken from the Forest Department to lay the power lines in reserved forest area. The cost to lay the line and construction of sub-station was Rs. 27 crores.
