ITANAGAR, 14 Jul: In a development that has left more questions than answers, two 25-metre-high steel power transmission towers and an entire stretch of an alternative electricity transmission line have reportedly disappeared from Lower Dibang Valley district, raising serious concerns over the safety and monitoring of critical public infrastructure.
The missing towers were located across the Sisiri river between Aohali and Dambuk. Constructed under the Government of India’s Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) scheme at a reported cost of over Rs 3 crore, the infrastructure served as the only 11 kv transmission line supplying electricity to Dambuk and Paglam subdivisions through the Pasighat-Mebo feeder until 2022, when the XLPE cable project across the Dibang river was commissioned.
The disappearance of the two towering steel structures and the transmission line has baffled residents and raised questions over how such critical government infrastructure could vanish without attracting official attention.
What makes the incident even more intriguing is that no FIR or formal complaint has reportedly been lodged. Sources said local residents remained unaware that the towers had gone missing, attributing the recurring power disruptions during the monsoon to landslides and other seasonal factors. The structures were reportedly last seen about one-and-a-half years ago.
The matter surfaced after power supply to Dambuk subdivision became increasingly unreliable following a fault in the XLPE cable transmission system laid across the Dibang river. With the 132 kv transmission line being constructed by Powergrid yet to be commissioned, the subdivision has been witnessing prolonged power outages.
According to sources, the now-missing transmission line served as a vital standby source of electricity whenever the main transmission system developed faults. Its disappearance has effectively removed the only alternative route for power supply, leaving Dambuk and Paglam subdivisions heavily dependent on a single transmission network.
The disappearance has also raised several unanswered questions. How could two 25-metre-tall steel towers and an entire transmission line disappear without the knowledge of the authorities? If the infrastructure was dismantled, who authorised its removal? Was the Government of India, under whose scheme the project was executed, informed before the structures were removed? If the towers were stolen, how could such a large-scale operation take place without attracting the attention of either the authorities or local residents?
The transmission line was a key component of Dambuk’s power infrastructure. It was commissioned on 21 April, 2015, when the then power minister Tanga Byaling formally switched on the electricity supply, significantly improving power connectivity to the subdivision.
In 2022, the power network was further strengthened with the commissioning of an 11 kvoverhead line and the laying of a 185 sq mm three-core 11 kv XLPE cable along the Dibang (Sikang) bridge, directly linking Dambuk to the 132 kvsubstation in Roing. The project was intended to ensure stable voltage and provide a more reliable electricity supply to the subdivision.
Ironically, the older transmission line, which continued to serve as a crucial backup during outages, is now reportedly missing.
As of the filing of this report, there was no official confirmation from the Power Department on whether the towers and transmission line had been dismantled under any authorised plan or whether their disappearance was the result of theft or any other unlawful act. It also remains unclear whether any departmental inquiry has been initiated into the matter.
