The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) has started maintenance work on mission mode all over the city to prevent unscheduled power cuts.
Maintenance work has been initiated in the backdrop of complaints being received from residents from various places about sudden disruption of electricity supply.
The Assembly election and the announcement of the lockdown from May 10 had forced senior officials to stop all routine maintenance work.
A senior Tangedco official said maintenance work was planned to be implemented after the Assembly election but with the announcement of the lockdown from May 10 to curtail the spread of COVID-19 infections during the second wave and based on the advice of Electricity Minister V. Senthilbalaji to provide uninterrupted power supply to residents, routine maintenance work could not be taken up for more than three months. The delay in carrying out maintenance — pruning of tree branches, tightening sagging overhead power lines, replacement of worn out conductors and switches and electrical equipment — had resulted in power outages caused by technical snags to transformers and junction boxes. Also, in several places the overgrowth of tree branches had resulted in the snapping of cables due to birds getting electrocuted.
To overcome this, Tangedco has resumed routine maintenance in both the city’s north and south regions, covering several localities in Anna Salai, T. Nagar, Royapettah, Purasawalkam, Adyar, Taramani, Guindy, Kodambakkam, Ashok Nagar and the IT corridor of Sholinganallur, Thoraipakkam and Perungudi. Routine maintenance had resumed from May 19.
A senior official of Tangedco, giving details of the various works carried out during the past one week till Friday, said damaged poles (137 nos.) and conductors for a length of 15 km were replaced, 1,900 new jumpers were installed, tree branches were cleared in 13,000 locations, distribution of transformers were repaired in 65 places and nearly 200 pillar boxes were fixed.
The official said previously, maintenance work was carried out from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. but now it had been curtailed till 2 p.m.