Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who has been credited with saving the lives of thousands of people during Cyclone Phailin, has talked to Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and sought his help in dealing with the power crisis.

While power services are being restored in other parts of the state in a phased manner, the situation in Ganjam district is very precarious. The SouthCo suffered a huge loss of Rs 180 crore, as 40 sub-stations and 120 feeders were completely damaged. Around six lakh people in the district are living without power.

Teams from CESCO, NESCO and Mumbai are reaching shortly to help in restoring the power services. The Odisha CM requested the PM to send efficient Engineers and other experts, who can lend their helping hand. According to government sources, it may take another another 7-10 days to restore power services in Ganjam district.