Electricity supply to different southern Orissa districts as well as parts of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh has been severely affected following the attack. This is for the first time that naxalites operating in Orissa have targeted a power generation unit in the state. Orissa Power Generation Corporation owns the Balimela power plant.
OPGC sources said it may take two to three days to normalise operations in the power unit. Experts from Bhubaneswar has already left for Malkangiri to assess the damage.
(Published 20 December 2009, 19:50 IST)