Chennai: City residents and those in the suburbs continue to face frequent power cuts, with TNPDCL attributing the disruptions to sudden equipment failures in the distribution network. Of the 37 major disruptions recorded in 24 hours until Saturday morning, 17 were reported in Chennai and surrounding neighbourhoods. Mangadu, Nolambur, Pallikaranai, Kelleys, Vyasarpadi, Avadi, and Pattabiram were among the areas affected by hours-long power cuts. T Sadagopan of Pattabiram said they faced interruptions from 4pm. Power supply was restored only at 9.30 pm. “There was no assurance on restoration time from TNPDCL officials. This made residents panic,” he said. On Saturday, power interruptions were reported across several parts of the city — in Choolai due to a service cable fault, Royapettah due to a feeder trip, Santhome due to a fire in a pillar box, and Palavakkam due to a high-tension cable fault. TNPDCL chairman and managing director Dr J Radhakrishnan said equipment failures tend to occur in densely populated areas when Chennai’s power demand crosses 4,500MW. “We are focusing on areas where the situation has not improved and have instructed field officers to resolve the issues at the earliest. Overall, the situation is getting better and the number of grievance calls received through Minnagam has also come down,” he said.
