CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu on Monday dispatched a 500-member team of electricity department personnel to Andhra Pradesh to restore power infrastructure damaged by Cyclones Arnab and Murasu. Power Minister CTR Nirmal Kumar flagged off the special restoration team at the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board headquarters in Chennai.
Addressing reporters, Nirmal Kumar said the move followed a request made by Andhra CM N Chandrababu Naidu to Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay over the phone on Sunday, seeking assistance in restoring electricity supply in several cyclone-hit areas of the neighbouring state.
The 500-member team comprises officials and field-level workers drawn from 25 TN districts. They will undertake restoration works in cyclone-affected areas, including repairing damaged electricity poles, power lines and transformers. They will also work to restore damaged distribution networks and gradually resume normal power supply to affected consumers, he said.
Referring to electricity procurement, Nirmal Kumar alleged that misleading reports were being circulated on the issue. He said the government was preparing power sector plans for the next 10 years. The minister also informed that TN’s electricity demand has fallen to around 16,000 MW.