Residents resort to protest seeking restoration of power supply
Residents in several parts of the city resorted to protest or road roko seeking restoration of power supply and non-availability of drinking water.
Residents protest demanding electricity and water at Brick Klin Road.
CHENNAI: Two days after the cyclone Michaung created havoc in the city, many flood affected areas are still facing power outage with the public resorting to road rokos to get attention of the officials.
Residents in several parts of the city resorted to protest or road roko seeking restoration of power supply and non-availability of drinking water.
Cyclone Michaung: Residents protested demanding electricity and water at Brick Klin Road.#CycloneMichaung #Michaung #MichaungCyclone #Chennaicyclone #ChennaiFloods2023 #ChennaiFloods #ChennaiRains2023 #ChennaiRain #Chennai pic.twitter.com/pa8eJ4xbXZ
— DT Next (@dt_next) December 6, 2023
Residents of Vysarpadi's SA Colony, Indira Nagar and Kamaraj Nagar resorted to road roko in front of ABR Mahal on Erukkanchery Road bringing to halt traffic upto Moolakadai on Wednesday evening seeking power supply.
Tangedco officials promised to restore power by 5 pm on Wednesday but it was not fulfilled, they said.
Residents of Ice House's Natesan Salai, Villivakkam Sidco Nagar, Gurusamy Bridge at Chetpet, Kovilambakkam on Pallavaram Radial Road and Tiruvottiyur over non-restoration of power for the third successive day even after the water logging came down.
A senior official of Tangedco said that parts of Vysarpadi was under waist level water on Wednesday morning.
"We cannot provide power supply to waterlogged areas as it would lead to electrocution. If the distribution transformers, RMU and pillar boxes are under water, power supply cannot be restored, " the official said.
Tangedco CMD Rajesh Lakhani said that only four per cent of the city's feeder line are yet to be switched on as against 5.6 per cent in Tambaram and 7.85 per cent in Tiruvallur. "We have not restored power supply only to water logged areas considering the safety of the public. Chennai 's power demand has increased from 1500 MW on Tuesday to 1900 MW on Wednesday, " he said.
Meanwhile, Finance and Electricity Minister Thangam Thennarasu said that consumers in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu and Kanchipuram who faced difficulties in paying their electricity bills (whose last dates falls between December 4 and 7) could pay their bills without any charges till December 18.
"If any consumer had already paid the bill with penalty, they would be given a refund, " he said.