Residents living in some of the city’s suburban pockets that were merged with Chennai Corporation complain that the civic body and Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) were very slow in acting on their grievances.
Residents of Mugalivakkam, a western suburb that was merged with Chennai Corporation in 2011, said neither Tangedco nor the civic body were replacing corroded lamp posts. AGS Colony Phase III Residents Welfare Association secretary, M. Balakrishnan, said, “When we contacted Tangedco officials, they rejected our requests, saying it is Corporation’s duty to replace them”.
“The bulbs hang on to the corroded lamp posts precariously and the power supply cables threaten to damage our electrical equipment,” pointed out K.S. Kannan, a social worker. He recalled the time when three men were electrocuted when the iron beams they were handling came into contact with overhead power supply cables at Adambakkam in May 2013. “The officials should act before any major disaster takes place,” he added.
K.Chitra of Third Avenue in Annai Velankanni Nagar Phase II said sparks from the overhead cables often damage household goods. Rules restrict use of the area below an overhead line because objects must not come too close to the energised conductors. Overhead lines pass through vacant plots in their locality, and they have been pleading in vain with Tangedco officials to relocate them.
Councillor P. Govindaraj said that steps would be initiated to remove the corroded lamp posts. For relocation of the low tension lamp posts, they would write to Tangedco through Chennai Corporation, he said.
Neither Chennai Corporation nor Tangedco act quickly on requests to relocate low overhead power cables either, they say
