Residents of Mathur in Chennai staged a protest alleging prolonged power outages, persistent low-voltage supply and the Electricity Board’s failure to respond to repeated complaints. The protest saw participation from local residents, welfare associations and representatives of various political parties, who demanded immediate intervention to resolve the long-pending issues.
Residents alleged that they had been without electricity for more than three to four hours, despite repeatedly contacting Electricity Board officials. According to them, calls made to the Assistant Divisional Engineer (ADEE), linemen and foremen went unanswered.
Residents further alleged that Electricity Board officials gave conflicting timelines for restoring power, variously stating that supply would resume at 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m. or 12 noon, but electricity remained unavailable. They said the prolonged outages had caused severe hardship for office-goers, schoolchildren, college students and families with infants. They also alleged that persistent low-voltage supply over the past four months had damaged household appliances, including refrigerators and air conditioners.
“We pay our electricity bills regularly. The power isn’t supplied free of cost. Yet no one answers our calls when there is an outage,” one resident said.
According to residents, the locality has been facing chronic low-voltage issues for the past four months, resulting in damage to household appliances such as refrigerators and air conditioners. They alleged that transformers in the area had not been upgraded despite being in use for many years.
Residents said they had submitted multiple written representations to the Electricity Board regarding the ageing transformers, recurring outages and low-voltage supply, but claimed that no corrective action had been taken.
They further alleged that while some stretches in the locality had underground power cables, several other areas continued to rely on old infrastructure. They also pointed to instances of sagging power lines and electricity leakages, raising safety concerns.
The protesters said the 19th Ward, which has an estimated population of around 50,000 people, was being severely affected. They questioned why nearby areas, including Manali, continued to receive uninterrupted power while Mathur faced frequent outages.
Residents said the disruptions were affecting office-goers, school and college students, and families with infants, particularly during the morning hours when people were preparing for work and school.
When Electricity Board officials allegedly failed to respond, residents gathered outside the local EB office. They claimed no officials were available to address their grievances. Police personnel later arrived at the spot, following which protesters staged a road blockade on the nearby bypass road to press their demands.
The demonstrators urged the Electricity Board and the Tamil Nadu government to provide a permanent solution to the recurring power supply issues and modernise the ageing electrical infrastructure in the area.
Apart from electricity-related grievances, residents also complained about the poor condition of roads in Mathur. They alleged that damaged roads were causing frequent inconvenience to motorists and resulting in neck pain and vehicle damage. Residents questioned why the area continued to suffer from inadequate civic infrastructure despite repeated complaints.
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