CHENNAI: Shortage of manpower and materials has crippled TANGEDCO's (Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation) plan to complete pre-monsoon maintenance work across Tamil Nadu before July 15.
BMS (electricity) engineers' wing State general secretary E Nadarajan said nearly 25,000 field staff posts have been vacant for years, and the power utility is trying to mange affairs with existing work force. "Hence, finishing work on time is difficult," he said.
Ahead of northeast monsoon, the power corporation has planned to take up 3.3 lakh works, including replacing 27,000 damaged poles and clearing trees in 87,000 places, across the State. While over 8,000 transformers have been changed over the past one year,
TANGEDCO has also replaced 5,285 damaged poles and restored 14 substations affected by last year’s monsoon. "There is also shortage of poles and UG cables in several places. It will be better if we could maintain sufficient stock of these equipment," Nadarajan said. TANGEDCO allocated Rs 10 lakh to each division to carry out maintenance work for northeast monsoon.
'North Chennai most affected by power cuts'
A senior official said electricity minister V Senthil Balaji at a review meeting in February instructed chief and superintending engineers to carry out the special maintenance work. "Of the 44 distribution circles, 10 circles, including Chennai North and South-II, Chengalpattu, Tiruchy Metro and few coastal areas, show poor performance with just 30 per cent of the targeted work being completed," he said.
TN Consumer Protection Organization president C Paul Barnabas said maintenance work of distribution networks must be initiated to protect them from rain but in most rural areas, the work has not started. "Particularly in North Chennai, locals were facing frequent power cuts, voltage fluctuation. We raise these issues at TANGEDCO grievance day meets, but no steps were taken to solve them," he said.
Coimbatore Consumer Cause secretary K Kathirmathiyon said that except clearing trees in rural areas, the power utility has not initiated other work.
Despite complaints to centralised call centre Minnagam, TANGEDCO staff hardly respond to transformer-related faults during nights. He said that TANGEDCO shuts down power once a day every week for pre-monsoon maintenance, but locals want it to be completed in one shot.