DC Impact: Street Lights Restored in Veduruvalasa Gadavapalem

Visakhapatnam: A tribal hamlet emerged out of darkness after a power-blackout lasting three months.

The villagers' plight was explained by Deccan Chronicle in a report on Sunday, August 23, titled, ‘No streetlights in Veduruvalasa Gadavapalem of Anakapalli district’. On Monday morning, officials from the Eastern Power Distribution Company of Andhra Pradesh (APEPDCL) visited the village, repaired the faulty system, and restored the lighting by evening.

Villagers expressed relief and happiness, stating that, after months of living in darkness, they finally had light again. They thanked the newspaper for the report that resulted in a swift response from the authorities.

In response to a query from the district collector, the superintending engineer of APEPDCL, Anakapalli, provided an explanation on Sunday. The superintending engineer stated that the claim that the streetlights had been non-functional for three months did not align with their findings during the inspection. No complaints had been registered with the department prior to the report's publication, he claimed.

About a week before the inspection, the panchayat secretary had replaced the streetlight fittings, and the system had been functioning normally, he said.

The superintending engineer said a field verification revealed that the lights had actually been non-functional for only about five days before the inspection. The power supply interruption, he claimed, was caused by burning of wires and improper contact of the MCB.

“These issues were rectified immediately by APEPDCL staff and supply was restored to the streetlight system,” the engineer said and clarified that there was no problem related to smart meters. He confirmed that the lights were now functioning normally.

The superintending engineer said the matter was promptly addressed once it came to the department’s attention through the Deccan Chronicle report.