Siliguri, June 6: With power cuts becoming a rule rather than exception in this trading hub of north Bengal, the state electricity board’s promise for a better supply sounds hollow.

Board officials said they are well equipped to handle the situation, but that hardly reassured the local residents, who are on the receiving end of the power outages. If anything, the situation is getting worse.

West Bengal State Electricity Board (WBSEB) officials hold out hope for a better future, saying work on two new sub stations is under way in Siliguri. When complete, the sub stations will supply 100 mw of electricity to the areas in and around Siliguri.

“But the situation is unlikely to improve before July even though we are trying our best,” a senior WBSEB official said.

But then, it’s a cold comfort for the local residents baking in the heat both in and outside their homes.

WBSEB zonal manager P.K. Bhattacharya said the electricity board was trying to upgrade its infrastructure so it could handle the rising demands for power in the burgeoning town. “Work on the two sub-stations — one of 220/132 kv and the other of 132/33 kv capacity — is expected to be complete by the end of June. Once they are ready, we will be able to deal with the situation in a better and effective way,” he said. The two sub-stations, one at Gondarmore on Eastern Bypass and the other at Second Mile on Sevoke Road, are being set up with Japanese loan for the power sector.

“We are also setting up a few more 33/11 kv substations to ensure better distribution in the region,” Bhattacharya said.

The board officials blamed the power cuts on power generation. “Load-shedding is not in our hands. It all depends on generation of power. We distribute whatever is made available to us by various power generating agencies,” Bhattacharya said.

He said technical faults at generation units often resulted in power cuts. “We also have problems of breakdowns at power stations that often lead to a shortfall. As a result, the frequency of transmission goes down. If it goes below the threshold limit, we have to shed load, causing power cuts.”

Bhattacharya said unforeseen problems often arose in the power distribution system. “Even when there is no apparent shortage of power, we sometimes fail to provide continuous supply. We are all the time making efforts to fix the snags,” Bhattacharya said.

A junior official at the central load despatch unit said: “We have to cut off power supply when there are strong winds to avoid trouble. If the overhead cables snap, it will spell more trouble for the consumers who may have to go without electricity for days together.'

Power officials said rampant hooking and frequent thefts of cables also contributed to power outages in a big way.

WBSEB senior manager A.K. Mazumder said they were conducting surprise raids to stop such pilferage.