The Tangedco’s maintenance work on power lines, which was put off since February owing to the assembly election, are spilling troubles now. Technical snags reported in transmission lines and transformers are forcing the electricity board to suspend power distribution for hours, leaving the consumers frustrated amid the scorching summer. Residents said that Tangedco’s helplines often remain unavailable.
Tangedco sources said that the scheduled maintenance was hindered for the past two months due to the assembly election. Since many of the transformers were serviced and reused, lack of maintenance is casting an effect with snags reported in multiple localities. In Karumandapam, electricity distribution was suspended for a few hours in the early hours of Sunday leaving the residents sleepless. Similarly, the Rockfort and Vayalur road localities reported power outages for a brief time. Snags in the transmission are forcing Tangedco to suspend the electricity distribution to carry out the emergency maintenance work. The transformers that need overhauling are being sent to the state-run maintenance centres for servicing and were reinstated again.
“We have prepared a chart to take up the scheduled maintenance. High temperature in the summer is causing components to develop snags. We will complete the maintenance soon,” a senior Tangedco official told TOI. The electricity load in the city this summer has increased by 10-20%. On average, Trichy city’s daily consumption was placed at 40 MW. “The helplines are not responding even during the emergency,” C Balasubramanian, a resident of Karumandapam, said.
