No power for 3rd consecutive day, residents in several areas protest

CHENNAI: Two days after cyclone Michaung wreaked havoc in the city, many flood-affected areas are still facing power outages with the public resorting to road rokos to get the attention of the officials.

Residents in several parts of the city on Wednesday staged protests or road roko seeking restoration of power supply and drinking water.

Residents of Vysarpadi’s SA Colony, Indira Nagar and Kamaraj Nagar staged road roko in front of ABR Mahal on Erukkanchery Road bringing to a halt traffic up to 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 protested over non-restoration of power for three consecutive days.

A senior official of Tangedco said that parts of Vysarpadi were 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 underwater, the power supply cannot be restored,” the official said.

Tangedco CMD Rajesh Lakhani said that only four per cent of the city’s feeder lines 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 waterlogged 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 Kancheepuram, who faced difficulties in paying their electricity bills (the last dates fall between December 4 and 7), could pay their bills without any charges till December 18. “If any consumer had already paid the bill with a penalty, they would be given a refund,” he said.

‘Power supply was not restored in few areas due to safety reasons’

Chief Minister MK Stalin on Wednesday said that power supply was not resumed in some places in the city due to safety reasons and to prevent deaths. In a message posted on micro blogging site ‘X’ after distributing relief materials to the flood affected people in his Kolathur constituency, Thiru Vi Ka Nagar and Egmore, Stalin said the restoration of electricity supply is being done in a very attentive manner.