CHENNAI: Residents of Chennai and its suburbs have been spending sleepless nights owing to power cuts. With summer just beginning to reach its peak, electricity consumption is on the rise, resulting in low voltage, voltage fluctuations and complete disruption.

Residents of Mandaveli, Raja Annamalaipuram, Ashok Nagar and Ayanavaram and Nanganallur, Madipakkam, Chitlapakkam, West Tambaram, Chromepet and Pallavaram have been complaining about frequent disruption in power supply in the past week.

Officials said the problems were due to transformer breakdown at sub-stations in Kadaperi and Pallavaram. They said they were working overtime to make alternative arrangements and set right the problem. Transformers had to be replaced in the two sub-stations, they said, adding that the work would be completed in a few days. The alternative arrangements, they hoped, would cause minimum interruptions in power supply.

P.A. Ranganathan of Vedachala Garden, Mandaveli, said power cuts occurred without any announcement. This happened two or three times last week.

N. Murthy of Raja Street in the same area complained of unscheduled power cuts in addition to the scheduled shutdown. He says the TNEB staff told him it was caused by "cable fault or transformer shut down."

Last month, a series of such complaints came about the transformer in South Bazaar of Thandurai, Pattabiram, where residents had put up with power fluctuations and low voltage for nearly a week.

Electricity Board officials said the transformer had to be changed. A different line was connected as a temporary measure but electrical equipment including motors and mixies were ruined by then, said D. Francis, resident. Electricity Board officials said remedial action was being taken.

A transformer from Charles Nagar was used as a temporary measure in South Bazaar and the area suffered low voltage for a while. Now, a 100 KV transformer has been installed in place of the original 250 KV.

Siding work at the sub-station between Pattabiram and Avadi, near Hindu College, was initiated.

A pipeline would have to cross the railway track and permission of Railways officials was being sought, said EB officials.

Once the work got completed, the seven transformers in North Pattabiram would have a feeder closer than the one in Avadi, said T. Sadagopan, chief coordinator, Thandurai Pattabiram Consumer Council.

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