The power supply situation in Dhanbad has significantly improved after the lockdown.

Suspension of operations by various small industrial units and commercial establishments has led to a 30 per cent reduction in power load and a resultant improvement in supply.

Households are now getting round-the-clock electricity that is necessary to operate TVs, laptops, home theatres and mobiles that are the only ways people can keep themselves busy during the lockdown period.

Confirming the development, general manager of Dhanbad supply area of Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (JBVNL), Pratosh Kumar, said: “Though power supply had started to get better after March 14 following the partial payment of dues to Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC), the situation improved further after the imposition of a lockdown that led to temporary closure of many industrial and commercial units.”

Executive engineer of Dhanbad division of JBVNL, Shailendra Bhushan Tiwari, said, the decreased load would reduce the risk of power cuts.

Dhanbad needs around 272MW during normal days, but the requirement has come down to around 190MW now.

Around 100 hard coke factories, plastic and ceramic industry and crushers have stopped operations since March 23 after Jharkhand announced a shutdown.

Rajiv Sharma, general secretary of Jharkhand Industries and Trade Association, said, the reduced load and continuous power supply to households is proving quite helpful in keeping people, especially children, at home.