KUTARA (ROHRU): Over 10 years of backbreaking toil went up in smoke within minutes on Tuesday afternoon as live sparks from a sagging high-tension wire rained down on a prime apple orchard in Rohru’s Spail Valley, reducing over 200 to 300 fruit-bearing apple and pear trees to blackened stumps.
The inferno tore through the Padenaal orchard of Kotada village resident Rajiv Machhan after a nearby transformer exploded with a deafening blast, revealed local eyewitnesses.
Driven by high-velocity valley winds, the flames raced from the bottom of the slope to the ridge before fire tenders from Rohru could even reach the spot, wiping out the family's sole source of livelihood in a single afternoon.
From Transformer Blast to Inferno
Farm laborers working in adjacent fields and local eyewitnesses watched the disaster unfold in real time. A sudden voltage surge triggered a loud blast at the local transformer, sending a shower of live sparks flying from a high-tension utility pole standing at the rear end of Machhan’s orchard.
Landing directly on bone-dry grass beneath the canopy, the sparks ignited a fierce surface blaze.
Whipped by gusting winds, the fire engulfed mature, 10- to 15-year-old productive apple trees, pear trees, and young saplings alike.
Machhan and his family were across the valley in Kotara village when they spotted thick black plumes of smoke billowing out of Padenaal.
They raised an immediate alarm, sounding alongside villagers and farm workers while summoning the fire brigade from Rohru.
By the time firefighters navigated the hill roads, the damage was done. Choking smoke hung over the entire Spail Valley late into the evening, with row after row of prime trees left soot-charred, their bark blistered and foliage burnt crisp.
HPSEBL’s "Live-Wire Trap" Under Fire
The devastation has sparked outrage across the belt, putting the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL) directly in the dock. Local growers point out that the disaster was waiting to happen.
Dangerously Long Span: The high-tension transmission line cuts straight through the orchard with an overextended, sagging span between poles that sways dangerously in high winds.
Zero Protective Gear: The line runs completely bare over the trees, lacking basic insulators, protective cradling, or fault-tripping safeguards to stop live sparks from hitting the dry orchard floor.
Grower Demands Independent Probe, Yield-Based Payout
Because Rajeev Machhan was in Shimla when the fire broke out, eyewitnesses and farm laborers who saw the transformer blast and falling sparks have stepped forward and hold the electricity board accountable.
Refusing to accept token disaster relief for a man-made tragedy, Machhan and local orchardists have appealed to DC Shimla and SDM Rohru for immediate intervention, placing three non-negotiable demands before the administration:
Independent Inquiry: A formal, impartial probe into the transformer blast and HPSEBL’s failure to maintain safe transmission lines, backed by testimonies from on-spot eyewitnesses. The revenue team should immediately asses the loss and pay compensation.
Productivity-Linked Compensation: Full financial restitution calculated on the actual commercial fruit yield and 10-year investment value of the mature trees—not standard revenue token payouts.
Shift the Line Immediately: Urgent relocation of the high-tension wire out of the orchard belt, or the immediate installation of heavy-duty insulators and safety guards before another farmer’s livelihood is lost.
Rajeev Machhan said they have taken up the matter with revenue department to assess the loss before they lodge FIR in the case.
#Rohru #SpailValley #HPSEBL #AppleBelt #ShimlaNews #HimachalFarmers #OrchardFire #HorticultureCrisis #Accountability #HimbuMail
