With infrastructure development work executed in various parts of the city, the operation and maintenance staff of the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Ltd. (Tangedco) are bearing the brunt of damage to the cables caused by workers while digging the roads.
Stormwater drain construction and Metro Rail work is in full swing in several areas of the city. While stormwater drain construction is on in the Kosasthalaiyar basin, the Metro Rail work is in progress in the southern parts of the city, including on Rajiv Gandhi Salai.
The underground power cables were damaged at several places during the digging of roads, disrupting power supply and sending the maintenance staff of Tangedco into a tizzy.
Regular phenomenon
A senior official of Tangedco said damage to high-tension and low-tension cables had become a regular phenomenon at Periyar Nagar in Perambur where excavators were deployed for digging the roads. He said a 11 kV cable in SRP Colony was damaged as also the 33 kV cable feeding Periyar Nagar substation and Paper Mills feeders in the first week of June, causing long hours of disruption in power supply.
Similarly, underground power cables were damaged repeatedly on Medavakkam High Road between Adamabakkam and Medavakkam where Metro Rail work is in progress and also in Pallavanthangal and Nanganallur where stormwater drain was under construction.
A senior official said repairing a damaged underground cable involved specialised work and it would take several hours to restore power supply. He cited an instance when a cable was damaged by Metro Rail contract workers on Rajiv Gandhi Salai which resulted in power supply disruption for several hours in a few localities in Thoraipakkam on April 16.
Fiat to officials
Meanwhile, Greater Chennai Corporation Commissioner Gagandeep Singh Bedi has issued a circular to all zonal officials about safety precautions to be taken and other steps needed to be taken by the officials monitoring the stormwater drain construction.
Mr. Bedi has advised the zonal officers to keep the officials of the Tangedco and the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) about the work being carried out and request them to send their staff to the spot.
However, senior officials of Tangedco said a dedicated concrete duct for underground cables at least on arterial roads would protect the cables from getting damaged.
