The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) has announced that there will be no power supply between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to the areas getting electricity from Palayamkottai sub-station in view of “emergency maintenance work” to be carried out between September 24 and October 7.
In other words, the areas fed by the Palayamkottai sub-station will suffer power cut for 9 hours everyday for 14 days.
In a statement, Superintending Engineer, Tirunelveli Distribution Circle, P. Paiyan Krishnaraj said there would be no power supply to the areas getting electricity from Palayamkottai sub-station between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. from September 24 to October 7 in view of the “emergency maintenance work” to be carried out in the sub-station.
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Though alternative arrangements have been made (to ensure power supply), residents, traders and students should bear with the power cut, Mr. Krishnaraj said.
“The power cut will have telling impact on the functioning of Collectorate, passengers coming to the railway junction and bus stand and more than 50 educational institutions in Palayamkottai, including 10 colleges. The functioning of Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital will be badly hit. It reminds us of the load-shedding clamped during the DMK rule,” said Mahesh, a social activist.
TANGEDCO sources cited shortage of coal in power plants as the reason behind the power cut.
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“As two units of Tuticorin Thermal Power Stations have been shut down, probably for want of coal, even as power generation from windmills has fallen sharply, we’ve been placed in a precarious situation. To compound the problem further, the first unit of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project has also been shut down for refuelling and subsequent maintenance. So this bad situation might have compelled the TANGEDCO to go in for load shedding,” said the sources.
When contacted Mr. Krishnaraj did not attend repeated phone calls or respond to the message sent to him to get his views.