Residents of Changki and neighbouring villages continue to struggle with a power disruption that has lasted nearly two months, severely impacting daily life in the Longnak electrical sub-division of Mokokchung. (Photo Courtesy: changkivillage@instagram)
Changki village leaders lament electricity situation has been unstable since the first week of January
Morung Express News
Mokokchung | March 4
Several villages under the Longnak electrical sub-division in Mokokchung district have been grappling with prolonged electricity disruption for nearly two months, affecting daily life, education and essential services.
According to Tsüpongtsüngba Changkiri, Chairman of Changki Village Council, the issue has not only affected Changki but also neighbouring villages including Longnak, Satsukba, Puneboto and more.
“We have not had proper electricity for the past two months,” he said, adding that the village council has already submitted an application and raised the issue with the concerned Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO).
Changkiri said that in January electricity was available for only about eight days, including four days during the church’s quasquicentennial celebrations, after which the supply went off again.
He further informed that during the Changki–Tai Ahom cultural connect programme in February, a transformer was brought to restore electricity, but it soon developed faults. Another transformer was brought last week, though officials initially faced difficulty completing the fitting.
According to him, after installing a second-hand transformer, electricity briefly returned on Tuesday night but lasted only for a few minutes before it was disconnected due to disturbances in the village line. The transformer supplying the villages is located in Longnak.
Highlighting the hardship faced by residents, Changkiri said villagers have been forced to rely on generators and solar panels to manage basic electricity needs. “Some households are buying generators while many have installed solar panels. Generators are being used in rotation to recharge inverters,” he said.
However, running generators has placed an additional financial burden on villagers due to fuel costs. He also noted that schools and health centres are facing difficulties, as their inverters have stopped functioning and they cannot afford solar installations.
Changkiri said the SDO informed him during a meeting on Tuesday that the current transformer being installed is also an old one, as new transformers are not presently available. “This is the third transformer being sent since January. They send one, it breaks, and another is sent again,” he said, adding that villagers remain hopeful that electricity will be restored soon.
Church becomes charging hub amid power rampage
Toshi Jamir, Youth Director of a church in Changki village, said the electricity situation has remained unstable since the first week of January.
“Repairs took almost a month, and after that in February it was almost the same again. The power came back for about a week and then the same problem happened again,” he said, adding that there was almost no electricity during both January and February.
Jamir noted that church activities were not severely affected as the church has generators. “The church did not face major problems because we have generators,” he said, adding that the church was able to extend minor assistance to villagers.
“Many villagers had run out of battery on their phones, so during church services people would bring their phones and charge them at the church,” he said. He also recalled that electricity supply had gone out before the church’s quasquicentennial celebrations, prompting the church and village council to approach the authorities.
“The power came back maybe a day before the jubilee, but two or three days after the celebration the same problem occurred again,” he said. Jamir further observed that many families have started installing solar panels to charge batteries, and expressed hope that authorities would resolve the situation soon. The prolonged power outage has also affected the functioning of educational institutions in the village.
Impacts SMILE digital attendance in school, students’ exam at risk
Wapong Changkiri, a teacher at the Government High School in Changki, said teachers are facing difficulties carrying out official work due to the lack of electricity. “We are required to give daily attendance through the SMILE app using a tablet in the school, but the device is dead because the inverter is not working,” he said. He added that other official tasks that require computers and internet connectivity cannot be completed. “We cannot even take printouts for school use because there is no electricity,” he said.
The situation has also affected students, particularly those appearing for the HSLC examinations. According to the teacher, students had their examination centres in Mangkolemba and had to stay there during the exams, though the prolonged power outage affected their preparation beforehand.
The school also has a generator that primarily runs on kerosene, which is no longer easily available. While it can also operate on petrol, the generator runs only for about 10 to 15 minutes before overheating, as most of the equipment in the school is old, he added.
Repairs will make issues ‘negligible’
Responding to the issue, Er Arenlong, Sub-Divisional Officer (Electrical), Longnak Electrical Sub-Division, said the damaged transformer has already been replaced and electricity supply has been restored to other areas. “The transformer was damaged and has been replaced, and we have given line to the other feeders,” he said.
However, he stated that the Changki feeder line is currently faulty, and linemen are conducting line checks to locate the problem within the village network. He clarified that this is the second transformer replacement, noting that the previous unit was a very old repaired transformer. According to him, the current transformer, though not brand new, is in “first-class condition.”
Arenlong also said electricity supply remained stable during the Changki–Tai Ahom cultural connect programme on February 9–10 and continued until February 23, when the transformer was damaged.
An alternative transformer was brought in on an emergency basis and it was reached by February 26, he added. He informed that repair work at the substation is underway, with technical teams from Dimapur currently working on breakers and other infrastructure. “Once the substation repair is completed, the issues will become negligible,” he said.
