Namakkal: More than 100 households in the Agraharam area of Pallipalayam municipality experienced damage to their electronic appliances on Wednesday due to intermittent power fluctuations. The fluctuations were caused by damage to electric poles during two consecutive days of thunderstorms in the region.
Residents Protest for Compensation
When Electricity Board (EB) officials, including Assistant Engineer Ramadurai, arrived to inspect the snapped power lines, local residents staged a demonstration. They demanded compensation for the losses incurred due to the unstable power supply.
Agraharam is home to over 500 houses, many occupied by families of power loom workers. Thunderstorms had lashed Pallipalayam in the evenings for the past two days.
Residents Share Their Ordeal
V Pushpavalli, a resident, explained: "During the rainfall and strong winds, electric wires tangled with each other, causing power outages." After EB staff temporarily restored power, residents reported that the electricity supply remained intermittent with fluctuating voltage.
Thowlath Khan, another resident, stated: "This resulted in fans, refrigerators, washing machines, and TVs in more than 100 houses being damaged."
EB Official's Response
Assistant Engineer Ramadurai commented: "The EB cannot do anything about events that occur naturally. We will talk to the officials and resolve the matter." EB employees were actively working to repair the damaged electric poles that had been disconnected from the grid.
The incident highlights the vulnerability of electrical infrastructure to extreme weather events and the need for better protection measures to prevent such widespread damage in the future.
