Electricity consumers who have registered their mobile phone number with the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) get text messages about power shutdown in their area.
They might get information about break downs in their area and likely time for restoration of power supply too in the future. This is a facility created as part of the ₹ 300 crore Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme under implementation in the region, which includes Coimbatore, Tirupur and the Nilgiris Districts.
Chief Engineer, Tangedco - Coimbatore region, T. Haldorai told The Hindu that 85 % of the consumers have registered their phone numbers. Of this, about 5% would have given their landline numbers and hence would not receive the messages. There are consumers who would have given one phone number for five or six houses, where there are tenants. Or, there are service connections where there only tenants. They would also not receive the messages. Consumers will have to register their mobile phone numbers on which they prefer to get the messages at the respective bill counters. This was made mandatory for all consumers.
The facility is used now mainly to inform consumers of power shutdown. In the future, it will be used more information, he said.
The R-APDRP Project started nearly five years ago in the region and 95 % of the work is over.
It included laying underground low tension and high tension power cables in select areas and adding new transformers. The plan was to have 1,325 new transformers. Of these, 1,291 have been completed . The project was to be completed in 2015. However, there is no cost escalation because of the delay, he said.