CHENNAI: Scheduled power cuts may occur for a few hours when maintenance work is carried out from Saturday, Minister for Electricity, Prohibition and Excise V Senthil Balaji said on Thursday. The work will be carried out for 10 days in specific divisions across the State, which may cause power outages of 2-3 hours in the respective areas. The schedule of the maintenance work will be announced in advance, the minister added.
“The previous government (AIADMK) did not carry out maintenance work for nine months, which has led to this situation. They didn’t procure spare parts and required equipment either,” Senthil Balaji said, adding that this has caused power cuts in some areas.
As part of the work, 83,553 tree branches need to be cleared, 36,737 dilapidated posts and 25,260 crooked ones need to be replaced, 37,366 weak insulators have to be changed, and 1,030 substations need to undergo maintenance across the State, he said.
Answering questions regarding complaints of unusually high electricity bills, the minister said 10,00,377 complaints have been received, and will be addressed through various avenues. “We are also checking if faulty readings were taken in these cases. If so, action will be taken against the staff concerned,” he said.
83,553 tree branches need to be cleared
As part of the work, 83,553 tree branches need to be cleared, 36,737 dilapidated posts and 25,260 crooked ones need to be replaced, 37,366 weak insulators have to be changed, and 1,030 substations need to undergo maintenance across the State, the Minister said.