North Lakhimpur: The North Lakhimpur Division of the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) has faced criticism from residents over alleged indiscriminate tree cutting during power-line maintenance, alongside complaints of frequent and prolonged power disruptions in the district headquarters.
Residents alleged that APDCL field personnel routinely cut trees and branches to prevent vegetation from coming into contact with power lines. They claimed that instead of selectively removing branches posing a risk, substantial portions of trees were often cut.
The latest incident reportedly occurred on Tuesday morning near the office of the District Commissioner, where APDCL personnel cut down two exotic trees—a laburnum and a cassia—planted by a local nature enthusiast within the compound of the ASCARD Bank.
The tree-felling reportedly took place while North Lakhimpur town had been without electricity since Monday night. Residents who witnessed the incident questioned the manner in which vegetation clearance was being carried out during power-line maintenance.
Locals have also raised concerns over the alleged lack of coordination between APDCL, the Forest Department and civic authorities before such work is undertaken. They have called for greater accountability and adherence to proper procedures to ensure that power-line maintenance does not cause unnecessary damage to trees.
APDCL’s power-supply performance in North Lakhimpur has also drawn criticism from residents. They alleged that electricity supply is frequently disrupted during rain or strong winds, raising concerns over the resilience of the distribution network and existing maintenance practices.
Consumers further complained of frequent scheduled and unscheduled power cuts, with some disruptions allegedly occurring without adequate prior notice. Residents said such outages affect thousands of consumers as well as essential services.
The scheduling of some repair-related shutdowns on Sundays and public holidays has also drawn criticism, with consumers pointing out that household electricity demand is often higher when people are at home.
Residents have urged APDCL and the concerned authorities to improve power-supply reliability, provide adequate notice before planned outages and adopt more scientific and selective methods of vegetation management around power lines to minimise unnecessary damage to trees.