Residents lose sleep over power outages

Low voltage and frequent disruptions have become a daily nightmare

Although there has been no load shedding, frequent power outages in several parts of Tiruchi have irked residents.

Frequent suspension of power supply, particularly during the night, is testing their patience.

Residents in several parts of the city say power disruptions occur almost every day without any warning when the supply will go off.

Power supply goes off during the day too in several areas including Cantonment, Kumaran Nagar, Srinivasa Nagar and Srirangam.

Though the outages are not lengthy, the disruptions are a nightmare to the residents due to soaring temperature. They find it difficult to sleep in the night.

“We have encountered frequent power cuts during the last few weeks. We face power disruptions mostly in the night. It spoils the sleep pattern of residents,” contends S. Boopathi, 62, a resident of South Srinivasa Nagar on Vayalur Road.

He says power supply usually goes off around 10 p.m., when people are getting ready to go to bed. If the power goes off, it takes about one to three hours for resumption.

“We often have low voltage. The inverter too becomes dysfunctional,” Mr. Boopathi added.

“If we ask local officials or linemen, they say it is for maintenance work. But we face frequent power cut,” says a resident of SBI officers’ colony in Cantonment.

However, an official of Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) maintains that there has been no load shedding and the city is getting sufficient power throughout the day. The disruptions can be because of feeder break down or shut downs for maintenance.

There are complaints of power disruptions from a few areas, but the problem is mainly due to overload.

Low tension (LT) lines, which are about 20 to 30 years old, cannot withstand high-power transmission. This can also be a reason for the power outages.

Concerted efforts have been taken to replace the old wires with new wires with high-power carrying capacity in the affected areas, a Tangedco official adds.

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