Karnataka Sends 500 Workers to Restore Andhra Pradesh Power

Karnataka has sent 500 power workers and specialised equipment to Andhra Pradesh to help restore electricity infrastructure damaged by Cyclone Arnab, according to a state deployment account. Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had said the state would provide the assistance after Andhra Pradesh requested support; the deployment account says the teams reached the state by midnight on Monday, November 2. The equipment included 15 trucks fitted with cranes and earth augers and 25 tractor-based drilling machines. Workers were arranged in teams of 10, each led by a junior or assistant engineer, with executive engineers supervising at the operations-and-maintenance-circle level. Drivers and operators accompanied the vehicles, and Karnataka said it would cover travel, accommodation and other emergency expenses. The deployment followed damage from Cyclone Arnab. Shivakumar said more than 15,000 electricity poles had been uprooted and described restoration as critical. That figure was attributed to the chief minister; the reports did not provide a separate assessment. Karnataka said its energy department was coordinating the response with Andhra Pradesh officials. The reports...