CHENNAI: On Thursday night, nearly 10 lakh homes in North and Central Chennai were left in the dark after a major fire broke out at the 400 kV Substation (SS) in Manali, located on the outskirts of the city.
The incident, which occurred around 9 pm caused a significant disruption in power supply to several areas.
TANGEDCO's chairman and managing director, Rajesh Lakhani, rushed to the site to assess the situation.
Speaking to TNIE, he stated, "A minor fire accident occurred at the 400 kV Substation due to an electrical trip. Our officials are working on a bypass line to restore power at the earliest. Fire and rescue teams are also at the scene, trying to extinguish the flames. Power has already been restored in areas like Valluvar Kottam and its surroundings."
He assured the public that power supply to the affected areas in North Chennai would be restored soon.
According to sources within TANGEDCO, the fire severely affected the functioning of the Manali substation, which plays a critical role in evacuating power from the North Chennai thermal power stations and other substations such as Basin Bridge and Tondiarpet. The power outage lasted for nearly four hours, impacting lakhs of residents across various localities, including Periyamedu, Egmore, Triplicane, Mylapore, Mandaiveli, Chetpet, Nungambakkam, R.A. Puram, Puzhal, Besant Nagar, Vadapalani, Thiruvanmiyur, and Adyar.
In some areas, such as KK Nagar and Periyamedu, frustrated residents took to the streets to protest the prolonged power cut.
Some of the angry irate residents took to social media to complain saying that the minnagam helpline number 1912 could not be reached. TNIE tried the number twice over two hours and received the message that the number was switched off.
Major roads, including Anna Salai and Central, witnessed heavy traffic jams as two-wheeler riders and motorists struggled due to the lack of street lighting.
A senior TANGEDCO official mentioned that an investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the fire.
"The feeder lines were also damaged in the fire, but we are working swiftly to restore power connections across the city," the official said, adding that the situation would return to normal by late night.
The fire caused significant inconvenience, but authorities assured that the issue was being addressed with priority.