Tripura Plans Portable Transformers, Mobile Towers for Disaster Response

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, May 20, 2026

The Tripura government is preparing to introduce portable transformers and mobile telecom towers to maintain essential services during natural disasters and emergency situations, Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath said on Tuesday.

The announcement came after a high-level review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Dr. Manik Saha, where disaster preparedness and infrastructure resilience were discussed.

Addressing reporters, Nath said the proposed mobile infrastructure would help restore services quickly when permanent systems fail due to floods, landslides or technical breakdowns.

“Transformers often take time to repair after damage, affecting electricity supply in large areas. Portable transformers can be deployed immediately to minimise disruption,” the minister said.

He added that mobile telecom towers are also being considered as temporary replacements in areas where landslides or extreme weather damage communication infrastructure. According to the minister, restoration of damaged towers can take several weeks in remote areas during the monsoon season.

The state government has also decided to deploy drones from June for identifying power faults and checking electricity theft, locally known as “hook lines”. Officials believe drone-based monitoring will improve fault detection and strengthen power distribution management.

Nath further said the government is exploring options to expand power generation capacity, including revival of the Dumbur hydropower project in Gomati district and development of small hydro-kinetic projects in other parts of the state.

He highlighted the role of the Tripura Renewable Energy Development Agency (TREDA) in extending electricity access to remote and geographically difficult regions under central schemes such as PM-KUSUM and PM-DeVINE.

The minister said the Chief Minister reviewed the department’s performance and expressed satisfaction over ongoing initiatives in the power and renewable energy sectors.

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