The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Pattabiram residents upset over frequent power cuts

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 06, 2005

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Pattabiram residents upset over frequent power cuts

Staff Reporter

Despite separate sub-station, consumers yet to reap benefits As the area lacks a fuse off call centre to register complaints, residents find it difficult to inform officials about the power breakdown that lasts for three hours

CHENNAI: Residents in and around Pattabiram have been having sleepless nights quite frequently for over a year due to delays in restoring power.

Even though a separate sub-station has been opened near Hindu College a year ago, most consumers in the area are yet to reap its benefits as the Southern Railway's approval was awaited for an underground cable crossing the railway track near the Hindu College railway station.

At present, about 40,000 people living in Pattabiram North still get the power supply from Avadi sub-station located seven kilometres away. As the area lacks a fuse off call centre (FOC) to register complaints, residents find it difficult to inform officials about the power breakdown that lasts for three hours.

Moreover, the service area of the sub station extends up to a radius of 8 km. The lack of FOC affected the residents who cannot seek alternate supply from Pattabiram sub-station due to the delay in approval for underground cable crossing for over six months.

M. Ramanathan, a resident of Pattabiram said that such power cuts happen at least once a day. ``It is difficult especially during summer as we have to wait for long hours for the staff to locate the area and take action.'' T. Sadagopan, chief coordinator of Thandurai Pattabiram Consumer Council, said that the area engineer's office at the Pattabiram Main Road, and the bill counter was also shifted to the new sub-station near Hindu College causing inconvenience to the residents as it is far away. He demanded the bill counter and area office be restored back to the original place.

Responding to the demands, a TNEB official of Avadi division said the FOC for Pattabiram would be allotted soon. The underground cable crossing the track awaited the approval from Commissioner of Railway Safety at Bangalore. The issue is being would be solved soon.

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