A CESC official has expressed the hope that underground cables will protect power supply its coverage area in the city during the storm but added that the main concern revolved around snapped branches and uprooted trees damaging electric poles.

“We have deployed more than 5,000 workers to expedite restoration of snapped services, Avijit Ghosh, vice-president (distribution services) of CESC, said on Tuesday.

Social media is abuzz with suggestions to keep gadgets and electronic appliances switched off during the storm. But Ghosh said there was no danger to them because of the storm. “These things can get damaged by lightnings, not strong winds,” he said.

The power utility caters to Calcutta and several neighbouring districts. “Entire Calcutta and and 50 per cent of the rest of the areas have underground cables,” said an official.

Power utilities are banking on close coordination with civic bodies to respond to any emergency triggered by Amphan. The storm is expected to generate windspeeds of 50kmph since morning. The speed is gradually expected to go up, clocking 100kmph towards the afternoon, as the storm nears land.

The CESC will be “in constant coordination” with the CMC and other civic bodies to ensure quick response in case of any emergency. “To expedite restoration of snapped services, we have deployed more than 5,000 workers,” said Ghosh.

Area-specific call centres, more people on the ground and automated alternate feeds for hospitals and pumping stations in the city are some of the steps being taken by the utilities gearing up for Amphan in the middle of the Covid-19 crisis.

“We usually operate a centralised call centre during natural calamities. But this time, we will have an emergency control centre at BBD Bag and operate 10 additional area-specific call centres. This will enable us to have more people addressing emergency issues without compromising with the social-distancing norms,” said another official of the CESC.

The CESC call centre numbers are 1912/44031912/18605001912.

Grappling with the Covid-19 curbs, many offices and commercial establishments in the city are still shut and the employees are working from home. The additional call centres are also in anticipation of more calls from across the city, the official said.

The demand has largely been domestic in the wake of the curbs, said sources in the utility.

The West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited, the state-run distribution utility, has promised “maintenance personnel across the state and transformers and diesel gensets at all divisions”.

During a squall in April 2018, that clocked wind speeds of over 90kmph, the CESC had received more than 36,000 fault calls and the WBSEDCL lost 300 electricity poles.

Hospitals and drainage pumping stations of the civic body will have an automated alternate feed in case the primary supply snaps, said Ghosh of the CESC.

“The WBSEDCL will also have back-up supply for hospitals in its areas,” said Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, the power minister.