After Vedagiri Street in Chintadripet, residents and traders of Athipattan Street, near P.R &Sons, on Anna Salai have raised the banner of protest against the installation of a new 110 KV transformer stating that it would further reduce the width, from 12-feet stretch to merely six feet.
The work on installing the transformer is being carried out by the Chintadripet division of Tangedco. The new transformer is one of 15 sanctioned by the State government this year for Chintadripet to prevent power fluctuations.
Of them, nine have the capacity of 250 kv each and the remaining 100kv each. At present, Chintadripet has 56 transformers including 23 transformers that have a capacity of 500kv each. Eight of them have already been installed. Two others are in the process of being installed.
According to Tangedco officials, transformers with a capacity of 100 kilo volt (KV) are classified as LT electricity lines and are mainly given to residential houses and small commercial buildings in the neighbourhood. On the other hand, transformers with a capacity of 240 KV are known as HT (high tension) lines that are meant mainly for industrial clusters including IT parks and Special Economic Zones (SEZs). “On an average, we get at least 10 complaints about power fluctuations from the locality as many consumers use multiple air conditioners in their houses. Then, there are also shops and offices. To prevent fluctuations, we have been installing transformers under the state government funded project,” said a Tangedco official.
Unlike localities such as Egmore, Anna Nagar, Tambaram and T.Nagar, Chintadripet is dotted with decades-old houses. Apartment complexes are few in number. Currently, the total consumers listed with the local Tangedco is around 15,000 despite the Chitadripet sub-station covering busy areas like Ritchee Street and a portion of Anna Salai, which have a good number of commercial buildings.
Athippatan Street has over 200 shops mainly dealing with electronic gadgets and power supply to the stretch is given from a decades-old 110 KV transformer located between Bharat Petroleum pump and P.R. Sons near the Chennai Metro Rail site.
“Already, the stretch is narrow with two-wheelers being parked there. The new transformer will further restrict movement of traffic on the Street and if there is any mishap, fire engines and ambulances can get struck on the stretch,” said a long-time resident, Dhanesh Marlecha.
Backed by local traders and residents, Marlecha also met senior Tangedco officials at its headquarters in Anna Salai and gave a complaint to the Chairman of Tangedco on August 13. Subsequently, residents in the neighbourhood also met the Chennai Corporation Commissioner and urged the civic officials to stop the installation. Corporation officials have given no objection certificate for the installation of the transformer.
“The permission a routine thing and we gave Tangedco permission only on an ad-hoc basis and the spot where the facility should be installed is decided only by Tangedco,” said a Corporation official.
Meanwhile, Tangedco officials said the transformer cannot be installed elsewhere. “We cannot do anything because we have to install the transformer without damaging existing the underground drainage system and disrupting the Metro Rail work.”
