Karang electrification : Novel experiences

Jarnail Singh
The February 1990 general elections to Manipur Legislative Assembly produced a coalition Government headed by RK Ranbir Singh of Manipur Peoples’ Party. Even after the elections, I continued to hold charges of Power and Planning Departments. Salam Ibohal Singh, an MLA from Thanga Assembly Constituency, became Minister of State for Power. During my meetings with him, I found him very polite and friendly. His systematic approach made my working with him comfortable. After a couple of weeks, during one of the meetings, he expressed his desire to electrify Karang village (by connecting it to power grid) and set up a 33/11 KV substation in his area.
Situation at Karang village in 1990 Karang village, which is on an island in the Loktak Lake, is about 800 metres away from nearest land mass. During my first visit to Karang from Thanga side, I went along with Salam Ibohal Singh, E Nandakumar Singh Chief Engineer Power and other power engineers. The boat ride in the Lake from Thanga to Karang was very scary. With a slight body movement, the narrow boat would start wobbling from one side to another. When we reached Karang I found that electricity was being supplied to Karang by a diesel engine for a few hours in a day. The diesel was spilling and flowing into the Lake. It was then decided to supply electricity to Karang from the main power grid line.
Thanga Karang 400 KV Towers
After about three week I went again to check the progress of work. I found that on Thanga side hill slope, facing Karang, four 33 KV poles were erected and stones had been piled up. These poles appeared too short. Just by looking, it appeared that with 800 meter span between Thanga and Karong, the 11 KV line conductor would sag so much that it would touch water in the Lake. When I asked engineers to check the water clearance and sag of the lowest conductor after stringing on these poles, it was found that lowest point of conductor would touch the bottom of the Lake !  It was then decided to do back calculations to decide on poles’ heights. It was decided that for the highest possible water level of the Lake as well as local fishermen with their fishing equipment raised as high as they do, poles’ heights should be such that these should provide adequate clearance at the lowest point of strung conductor between Karang and Thanga. Based on the clearance needed for the Lake users, it was then decided to use 400 KV towers.


The cost of the electrification of Karang village by using two 400 KV towers, HT conductor and with proper light fixed on both towers for guiding helicopters or aeroplanes, was about Rs 45 lakh in 1990-91. It was approved and the work started. I visited Karang more than half a dozen times during the construction of towers. During one such visit to Karang, while having tea an elderly person with wrinkled face narrated that if any Chief Minister of Manipur visited Karang, he would not get elected again. But if any Mayang (non-Manipuri) visits Karang more than once, then that person would keep coming to Manipur again and again.
Difficulties in stringing conductors
After construction of 400 KV towers, major difficulty was the stringing of conductors. It was not possible to first lay conductors on ground as is usually done. All along the span, there was Loktak Lake and there were thick weeds in the water. If a conductor fell in the Lake, it would have been very difficult to lift it up due to the weeds. A number of boats were arranged for laying and supporting the conductors and then stringing the conductors up. It was a completely new experience in Manipur to string conductors on towers across the Loktak Lake. It was done with difficulty but done brilliantly. The local MLA and the villagers provided all assistance needed by the Power Department and the contractor. Full credits for Karang electrification go to Salam Ibohal Singh and E Nandakumar Singh
Words of elderly person from Karang seemed correct!
Later on in life, I worked as Administrator of Manipur University. After relinquishing charge of Administrator MU on November 30, 2020, I took a flight from Imphal to Delhi on December 1, 2020. While in the flight, I remembered the casually uttered words of the elderly person in Karang village way back in 1991. Maybe his words were becoming true. I had visited Karang about half a dozen times in 1990-92. Maybe because of that, I have been coming again and again to Manipur even after my retirement from IAS, first as Advisor (Infrastructure and Power) to the Chief Minister of Manipur (August 2012 to March 2017), and later as Administrator of MU (October 2018 to November 2020). His words came fresh to my mind again in the flight, after about 29 years.
The writer is former Chief Secretary of Manipur and served as Advisor (Infrastructure and Power) to the Chief Minister of Manipur and later as Administrator of Manipur University