Power sabotage uncovered in Tripura, Minister alleges 'organised vicious circle'

Tripura Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath has accused an "organised vicious circle" of deliberately sabotaging power infrastructure across the state capital and surrounding areas following widespread outages early Tuesday morning.

 

CCTV footage captured a suspect on a two-wheeler tampering with a transformer, triggering a blackout in the Kamarpukur locality. This incident is part of a larger pattern affecting 21 transformers throughout Agartala.

 

"There is no shortage in power generation or supply in the state. What we are witnessing now is a deliberate attempt to disturb normal life," said Minister Nath. "Such actions are extremely dangerous and pose a serious security threat."

 

Upon receiving resident complaints, Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL) staff discovered transformer gangs removed in several locations and cutouts deliberately taken out in others. Main transmission lines remained operational, yet entire neighbourhoods were plunged into darkness.

 

Affected areas include Dhaleswar Road, Chandrapur, Joyguru, Shivnagar, and Kamarpukur, among others. In some instances, perpetrators reportedly threw heavy objects onto power lines to trigger short circuits.

 

“CCTV footage from Kamarpukur shows a man on a scooter throwing something on a transformer gang, after which the entire locality was blacked out. The Power Department and police are now examining more such footage,” said the TSECL official.

 

An FIR has been filed with East Agartala Police Station. Minister Nath has personally spoken with the West Tripura Superintendent of Police and the East Agartala Police Station Officer-in-Charge. Police and IT Department officials have committed to full cooperation in identifying and apprehending suspects.

 

Investigators are now reviewing additional CCTV footage to identify those responsible for what authorities describe as a coordinated attack on the state's power infrastructure.