Chennai: Chief Minister Vijay has instructed power department officials to respond immediately to public complaints about power outages and restore supply without delay.
The direction was issued at a power department review meeting held at the Secretariat under his chairmanship. The government said Tamil Nadu has adequate power generation and procurement, and that outages are not due to a shortage.
According to the official statement, disruptions in parts of Chennai and other urban areas are linked to ageing electrical equipment, faults in underground cables, rising power consumption and damage to power lines.
To address the issue on a long-term basis, distribution infrastructure improvement works worth Rs 2,275 crore are under implementation. In addition, 121 new and upgraded substations are being set up at a cost of Rs 10,109 crore, while 231 more substations are planned with an estimated outlay of Rs 15,032 crore.
The government said service improvements include 77 new power outage clearance centres, seven additional repair teams, 125 repair vehicles and 10 high-level monitoring teams. The Chief Minister also directed the regular appointment of 15,058 power workers, immediate procurement of essential materials and deployment of staff for patrol duties, and urged the public to report faults through service centres for quick resolution.
