Chennai: Hundreds of residents in Avadi and nearby areas on Friday laid siege to the substation in Kamaraj Nagar after power supply was cut off in the early hours of Friday. Some staged a road roko on the CTH Road, briefly disrupting traffic before police rushed to the spot and pacified the protestors. A video of the incident has gone viral.
Consumers said the power supply was cut around 3:30 am and did not resume even after three hours. They said they went to the substation to enquire about the disruption, but it soon turned into an argument. The households have been grappling with frequent power cuts for the last few weeks.
TNPDCL field officers said a bus coupler at the Kamaraj Nagar substation caught fire, interrupting the power supply via cables to the Tiruverkadu and Avadi 33kV substations. “The bus coupler was removed, and the equipment had to be cleared before it was refixed. It took time, and there was no intentional delay on TNPDCL's part. Power supply was fully restored before 7:40 am. The bus coupler could have developed issues due to continuous run and overheating,” said an official.
Background of Power Disruptions
Residents reported that the power cut started around 3:30 am and persisted for over three hours, causing inconvenience. Many households have been experiencing frequent power cuts in recent weeks, leading to growing frustration.
Protest and Police Intervention
The protest escalated as residents blocked the CTH Road, causing a temporary traffic jam. Police arrived promptly and managed to calm the demonstrators, ensuring the situation did not worsen.
TNPDCL Response
Officials from the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL) explained that a bus coupler fire at the Kamaraj Nagar substation caused the outage. The bus coupler was removed, cleaned, and refixed, with power fully restored by 7:40 am. Officials attributed the issue to continuous operation and overheating.
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