Residents of the city and suburbs, who have been facing one-hour load shedding, will hereafter have an additional hour of power cut from Monday.
The revised system of load shedding will be implemented in such a way that the duration will be stretched to one more hour.
A senior official of Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) said two hours of load shedding in the city and suburbs would be implemented between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. The schedule had been drawn up in such a way that the hardship to residents would be minimum.
The load shedding schedule would be regularly revised once a month on a rotation basis to avoid inconvenience. The schedule would be changed at the end of March, adds the official. The revised system of load shedding for Chennai and suburbs is part of the new restriction and control measures announced by the TANGEDCO on Saturday.
The reaction from residents is on the expected lines. Many of them are unhappy over the TANGEDCO's move.
D.S. Kumar, a resident of Chinmaya Nagar, Virugambakkam, complains that the two-hour power cut would cause severe inconvenience. With his daughter preparing for class 10 examinations, Mr. Kumar is concerned that she might not be able to concentrate on her studies because of the power cut to be carried out during day. He hopes that Chief Minister Jayalalithaa would take steps to speed up the completion of the power projects to bring relief to the people.
V. Rama Rao, a social activist from Nanganallur, suggests that the implementation of the new measures be deferred to April, as the public examinations would be over by then.
He also wants the State government to curb the lavish use of electricity by business houses and commercial establishments.
But, R. Umapathy, a resident of Jamalia, does not mind load shedding during off-peak hours. He says, “So long as it is not being carried out during early morning and late evening hours, I am not bothered in any way.”
