Date:26/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/26/stories/2008112658730300.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Continuous blackout sets them fretting

R. Srikanth

“TNEB office, official did not respond to numerous calls made by residents”
Senior official of the Board said he was not aware of such power disruption in Choolaimedu

CHENNAI: Hundreds of households on two streets in Choolaimedu went without power for two nights from Friday night.

The supply was restored only on Sunday night. For the families, on Gandhi Road and Kasutribai Street, with senior citizens and students, the ordeal was severe.

Kanchana, a resident of Gandhi Road, complained that her children were taking their half-yearly examinations. She said: “The supply, which went off on Friday around 9:30 p.m. was restored on Sunday night only. The children were unable to prepare properly for the examinations scheduled on Monday.”

More than the blackout, what annoyed the residents most was the alleged lackadaisical attitude of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) officials.

The local TNEB office and the official did not respond to the numerous calls made by the residents, she complained.

R. Easwar, a resident of Kasturibai Street, said that despite the claims that complaints about power disruptions could be reported to the Complaint Cell round the clock and they would be attended to immediately, there was little response from the TNEB.

“Many of the residents registered the complaints on the helpline. Even two days after registering, there was no response from the authorities concerned,” he said.

When contacted, a senior official in the office of the Superintending Engineer (South) of the TNEB said that he was not aware of any such long power disruption in Choolaimedu.

The residents said that the supply was restored only on Sunday night.