Residents of several neighbourhoods near Tambaram staged a road blockade on the Velachery Main Road at Kamarajapuram on Thursday (18 June 2026) evening, protesting prolonged and recurring power outages that they say have disrupted daily life for weeks.
According to local residents, power supply had been interrupted for more than four hours in areas including Sembakkam, Samraj Nagar, Karageshwari Nagar, VGP Ponnagar and Manavalan Nagar, triggering anger among the public.
More than 50 residents reportedly gathered on the Velachery-Tambaram arterial road and launched a sudden road blockade, parking their two-wheelers across the carriageway and preventing the movement of vehicles. The protest led to significant traffic congestion on the busy stretch, with commuters stranded for nearly half an hour.
Residents stated that heavy rain and strong winds had lashed the area earlier in the evening, causing electric poles and power lines to be damaged in several locations. However, they alleged that electricity board officials failed to restore power even after several hours, leaving entire neighbourhoods in darkness.
Protesters complained that the outage had severely affected access to basic necessities. With no electricity, residents said they were unable to operate water pumps, disrupting drinking water supply and other essential household requirements.
The aggrieved residents further alleged that officials of the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board were unresponsive to repeated complaints. According to the protesters, calls made to register complaints were either not attended to or not acted upon. Some residents claimed that even when they approached officials directly, their grievances were ignored.
Locals also alleged that the current outage was not an isolated incident. They claimed that residents of the affected localities had been facing frequent power disruptions over the past 15 days, with little effort made to permanently resolve the issue.
Several protesters expressed concern over the impact of the outages on students and working families. With schools functioning and examinations underway, residents argued that repeated power cuts were causing serious inconvenience to children and affecting normal household activities.
Despite efforts by police to clear the protest, residents initially refused to disperse and demanded that a senior electricity board engineer visit the spot and provide assurances regarding restoration of power and a long-term solution to the recurring outages.
Personnel from the Selaiyur Police Station and Traffic Police rushed to the location and held negotiations with the protesters. Following discussions and assurances from officials, the residents eventually withdrew the road blockade and dispersed.
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