Unannounced and prolonged power cut by Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) in S. Alangulam and nearby areas has caused outrage among residents who staged a protest there.
G. Mathiapidaran, Madurai North Coordinator of Narthai Nanbargal Iyakkam, said TANGEDCO officials made no effort to communicate how long the power cuts would be and which areas would be affected. For an entire week, residents of S. Alangulam, Anaiyur, SVP Nagar, Imayam Nagar, Anbu Nagar and Kosakulam had barely four hours of power supply at night, he said.
Electricity to these areas is supplied through MG Nagar substation.
Families have suffered without proper sleep or water due to intermittent power supply. Despite road roko on Saturday night and extensive reportage, TANGEDCO failed to provide convincing reasons for the haphazard power cuts, Mr. Mathiapidaran said. “We spoke to a number of officials through the last week but no one could correctly tell us the reason for the poor supply. The women in our area got enraged and took to the streets. When the officials realised the intensity of the protest, they provided us supply until we dispersed. About 10 minutes later, the supply was cut again,” he said.
He said an official told him that the substation frequently tripped because residents of these areas had been overutilising air conditioners. “This reason makes no sense to us. If over usage of A/Cs is a problem, should there not be power cuts in adjoining areas like P and T Nagar?” he asks.
B. Malliswari, a resident of S. Alangulam, said that if the residents had been told exactly about power cut schedule, they would have filled water, completed activities like cooking and ironing. “We live close to a stormwater drain which is clogged with sewage. There are hundreds of mosquitoes swarming our houses every day. It becomes difficult to live without the fan,” she says.
An official from TANGEDCO’s Tiruppalai substation said that faults in three spots along a four kilometre underground cable located six feet below the ground had been fixed. “Proper power supply will resume from Monday,” he said.
