KOHAT: The FM 92.4 radio service of Kohat went off air in the wee hours of Thursday after an explosion occurred at the station due to a fault in the wire used in the transmitter and extremely low capacity transformer.

The application for 50KV transformer and its payment had already been made in July 2017.

Locla Pesco officials said that the wire connecting the transmitter went short which should have been clipped with steel binding wire, but was attached to the wall with iron ones which rusted in a year.

An official of the FM radio said on condition of anonymity that they escaped unhurt miraculously because the 220 volts current suddenly turned into 440 and then 11,000 volts. He said that they had submitted a request for a 50KV transformer for replacing the one of 25KV, which could not bear the load to cater to the information department and radio station, both located in the same building.

He said that the blast had also damaged the machinery at the radio station. He said that the Pesco officials had been called for repair of the transformer who gave an estimate of Rs30,000 for the purpose. He said that a new application had been moved for provision of 50KV transformer because during summer the gadgets heat up and required good air-conditioning.

He said that the government’s process was lengthy and the repair at the radio station could take several weeks. It was learnt that all the computers, supply lines to the tower and system, LCDs and sound system have been burnt.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2018