The Karandih substation on Thursday. (Animesh Sengupta)

Days of power cuts and loadshedding will soon be over for those residing on eastern fringes of Jamshedpur.

Jharkhand State Electricity Board (JSEB) is installing a 10MVA substation at Sarjamda, which, once ready by the end of this month, will take the load off Karandih substation and solve the power woes of at least 3 lakh people.

JSEB’s superintending engineer, Singhbhum circle, A.P. Singh said: “Installation of the substation is almost over. Two transformers, having a capacity of 5MVA each, are being procured. These will be set up by this month-end.”

Although work is progressing smoothly, the power board is facing hurdles in fixing poles in some of the nearby localities.

“A section of local residents is opposing construction of electric poles on their land. We are trying to persuade them. The matter is likely to be sorted out soon,” the superintending engineer added.

Despite being a no-flood zone, the eastern parts of Jamshedpur have failed to attract people for staying because of the poor power situation.

At present, localities like Parsudih, Bagbera, Karandih, Sundernagar, Barigora, Rahargora, Sarjamda and Govindpur are dependent on the sole Karandih substation, which has a capacity of 30MVA. Hence, overloading and consequent power cuts are common. The crisis becomes acute in summer when the pressure on transformers mounts, causing frequent trippings.

“The Karandih substation has to cater to a vast area and it is not possible to always ensure proper and constant supply of power to all localities. But once the Sarjamda substation becomes functional, the load on Karandih, which has a capacity of 30MVA, will automatically reduce,” Singh said.

According to the superintending engineer, over 1.5 lakh people of Barigora, Rahargora, Sarjamda and Govindpur will benefit directly from the project and another 1.5 lakh of Parsudih, Karandih, Sundernagar and Bagbera indirectly.