Trail of destruction left by heavy storm in Jorhat.
Trail of destruction left by heavy storm in Jorhat. Image: Northeast Now

Normal life was thrown out of gear for the second consecutive day in Jorhat on Tuesday after power supply was disrupted since 10 am on Monday morning.

A cyclone-like storm lashed Jorhat and neighbouring areas on Monday morning, uprooting trees, electric poles and leaving behind a trail of massive destruction.

Due to due uprooting of a large number of electric posts and snapping of wires, power could be restored only in a few localities like Rajamaidam, Malow Ali and west Jorhat.

Major part of the town remained in darkness with invertors and generators going on the blink in residences, commercial and business establishments, banks, post offices, educational institutes and hospitals and nursing homes.

Along with the power supply, water has become scarce with urban Water Supply schemes running dry.

An APDCL official said on Tuesday evening that though restoration work began after the storm, but was hampered due to another heavy downpour on Monday afternoon.

The official further said that repair work was going on in a war footing but that the extent of the damage was very big with the main 33KV supply line to the town affected by the storm.

The official said that the possibility of power supply restoration on Tuesday night was bleak and it could take a day or more.

Jorhat disaster management department project officer Pran Kishore Gogoi informed that a 26-year-old youth was killed after being struck by lightning.

Identified as Debojit Das, the deceased was a resident of Duliagaon, Garmur on the outskirts of Jorhat town.

Smita Bhattacharyya is Northeast Now Correspondent in Jorhat. She can be reached at: [email protected]