CHENNAI: With mercury on the rise, Chennai’s power demand and consumption hit a new high of 4,769 MW and 101.755 million units (mu) respectively on Friday against 4,648 MW and 100.04 mu on Thursday. Officials said this is the first time consumption in the city crossed 100 million units.
With demand going up, residents from several localities, especially those in the outskirts of the city, have been experiencing intermittent power cuts. Tangedco’s X handle saw several complaints coming from various parts of the city.
Residents of some localities alleged that they experienced difficulty in speaking to Tangedco’s centralised customer care ‘Minnagam.’ K Krishnaveni of Medavakkam said, “There is no response to calls at night. We get tired of calling repeatedly and give up. Our house has a lot of aged people and children who suffer a lot owing to power outage at nights. Tangedco must ensure uninterrupted supply considering such difficulties in summer.”
M Krishnan (42), a resident of Vignarajapuram, told TNIE, “Power outage during night has become a routine affair. For a second consecutive day, there was no power from 11 pm to 1 am in our area on Friday.”
Residents in other parts of the city like Velachery, T Nagar and Mylapore also complained of power outages.
On Saturday, Tangedco chairman and managing director (in-charge) Pradeep Yadhav held a high-level meeting with directors and chief engineers and formed 60 special teams to inspect the situation in and around Chennai.
According to a release, Tangedco managed the high demand of 4,769 MW in Chennai without any issues and there was no deficit in power supply. However, due to intense heat, transformers, underground cables and power lines were getting repaired, resulting in power cuts in some areas. The utility has instructed officials to take steps to ensure uninterrupted supply.
The release said superintending engineers have been instructed to identify the causes of power outage and resolve them immediately. Consumers can contact Minnagam at 9498794987 for complaints.”