Patiala, May 5 -- The thunderstorm that hit the state on Sunday caused widespread damage to power infrastructure, with the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) pegging losses at Rs.8 crore. PSPCL officials said the storm damaged critical transmission and distribution systems, disrupting supply in both rural and urban areas for several hours. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), wind speeds reached up to 60-70 kmph in some regions, accompanied by heavy rainfall. "Nearly 1,200 electric poles, around 100 distribution transformers, and one 200 kV transmission tower were damaged in the storm. The worst-affected districts include Mohali, Ropar, and Ludhiana, where high-speed winds and heavy rainfall caused extensive damage to overhead lines and equipment," according to the PSPCL data. PSPCL director Inderpal Singh said the restoration teams were immediately deployed across affected areas to restore power supply. "Our teams have worked around the clock to restore supply in most parts," he said. After the storm, outages were reported from several parts of the state, including Mohali, parts of Patiala, Ropar, Sangrur, and Jalandhar, where fallen poles and snapped wires disrupted supply. The PSPCL officials said that despite the damage, the supply has been restored in the majority of affected areas, with efforts ongoing to fully normalise the system. "Our field staff rush immediately to restore supply, but in cases of severe damage, restoration takes longer," Inderpal added. The rainfall brought some operational relief to PSPCL as the power demand in the state dropped sharply by around 3,000 megawatts (MW) following a dip in temperatures. According to data from the Northern Regional Load Dispatch Centre, Punjab's maximum power demandstood at 9,246 MW on Sunday, down from over 12,000 MW on Saturday....