CHENNAI: Though the recent rain brought down the heat, it caused prolonged power outages much to the dismay of the citizens. Power cuts which started off as brief ones during the summer have stretched out into even six-hour episodes in many parts of the city.
Even with light rain, places Mylapore, Santhome, Pallavaram, Madipakkam and Nanganallur, faced almost five to eight hours of prolonged power cuts in the past month. A week ago, residents of Ram Nagar in Madipakkam took to the road to protest against frequent power cuts. They blocked traffic on Velachery Main Road near Kaiveli junction for half an hour, after which officials held talks.
Residents said that power goes off even where there is moderate stagnation. “Ten days ago when it started raining in Santhome there was a power outage around 6.30 pm and was restored only after six hours. The local Tangedco engineer said it was due to a short circuit in the main transformer. Three days back when it was only drizzling, there was a power cut for an hour,” said Ramanathan S, a resident of Dooming Kuppam at Santhome.
Similarly, a week ago at KVD Garden in Raja Annamalai Puram, there was no power supply for nearly four hours in the night after moderate rains.
“We have frequent power cuts before and after it rains. Until it stops raining, power is not restored. But yesterday, we had no supply for two hours. Even on non-rainy days, there are unscheduled power cuts that go on for half an hour to three hours,” said Aparna M, a resident of Anna Nagar.
When it rained last week, the main transformer in Thillai Ganga Nagar in Nanganallur, burst, causing a power outage for nearly five hours, said residents. Even on non-rainy days, power cuts for one to two hours have become common in BV Nagar, Thillai Ganga Nagar and some parts of Nanganallur. “Apart from power cuts, there is low voltage problem here in Nanganallur. Because of this fluctuation, the air conditioner at my house got damaged,” said Rama Rao, a social activist.
A senior official from Tangedco said parts of the city that are supplied power through overhead lines, are the most affected. The official denied that this was caused due to shortage in power supply and said it was due to technical failures. “Once all overhead cables are converted into underground ones, these problems won’t arise,” added the official.
All localities after Tondiarpet in the North, Guindy in the south and Anna Nagar in the west, fall under this category. Only Central Chennai is equipped with underground cables. “Feeder lines snap easily even when a branch falls on them during windy days. And the line control team has to check cables right from the sub station till the last pole. This takes a minimum of four hours. Also, when water falls on hot fuse wires, it burns immediately and supply to the area connected to that transformer is disrupted,” he added.