To avoid a recurrence, the Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd has now roped in Pawan Hans to keep transmission lines clean with their choppers.

While choppers have been used in the past to keep transmission lines and insulators pollutant-free, Power Grid officials claim they are now adopting a “new” technology for “faster and efficient cleaning” of insulators and transmission lines.

A senior Power Grid official explained the process: “The basic procedure involves attaching a pump to the choppers through which deep mineralised water is sprayed through insulator pipes on the transmission lines. The purpose is to rid the lines of moisture, sand and other pollutants that interfere in movement of power along these lines.”

The corporation has inked a deal with Pawan Hans for this.

According to officials, the procedure has been tested along the Dadri-Mandola and Dadri-Muradnagar transmission lines, with satisfactory results. The official said Power Grid has identified 280 locations along various 400-KV transmission lines that will be cleaned with this system. “We have always carried out maintenance of insulators and transmission lines, particularly before the winter sets in,” the official said. “But manual cleaning can only go so far — and we do not want to take any chances after last year’s experience.”