More than 200 residents of the Tamil Nadu Housing Board (TNHB) residential quarters in Avadi staged protests and road blockades on Friday after a prolonged power outage left thousands of households without electricity for over four hours.
According to residents, power supply was interrupted at around 3:00 AM and had not been restored for several hours, triggering widespread anger among the public. Residents alleged that officials of the Electricity Board failed to provide a proper explanation regarding the outage, prompting them to lay siege to the Avadi Electricity Board office.
Over 200 people gathered outside the office and staged a demonstration demanding immediate restoration of power. Protesters later intensified their agitation by blocking the busy Avadi–Poonamallee Highway after claiming that electricity department officials did not respond satisfactorily to their concerns.
Residents parked vehicles on the road and sat on the carriageway, bringing traffic to a standstill. The road blockade caused severe congestion, with long queues of vehicles reported along the highway during peak morning hours.
The protest severely affected commuters travelling to work as well as students heading to schools and colleges. Traffic movement in the area was disrupted as vehicles lined up for considerable distances due to the blockade.
Residents said the prolonged power outage had caused significant hardship, particularly because it began during the night. They complained that the absence of electricity had affected access to water, disrupted household activities, and made living conditions difficult amid the summer heat.
According to electricity department sources, the outage was caused by a fault in the power transmission link connecting Avadi and Thiruverkadu. Repair work was reportedly underway to rectify the issue.
Officials stated that the disruption affected power supply to more than 5,000 homes in the Tamil Nadu Housing Board residential area in Avadi. Residents pointed out that without electricity they were unable to operate water pumps, access water for daily needs, or carry out routine activities such as cooking and other household work.
Police personnel, including Avadi Traffic Police and Avadi Police, rushed to the spot and initiated talks with the protesters. Electricity Board officials also engaged in discussions with residents in an attempt to persuade them to withdraw the agitation.
However, protesters reportedly remained firm, declaring that they would not disperse until power supply was fully restored.
The demonstrations were held at two different locations in Avadi, creating a tense atmosphere in the locality. The siege of the Electricity Board office and the road blockade attracted significant public attention and caused major disruption in the area.
The protest comes amid growing complaints about recurring power cuts in Chennai and its suburbs, particularly during night hours. Since the government led by Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay assumed office last month, residents in several parts of Chennai and surrounding areas have repeatedly raised concerns over unscheduled power outages, with similar protests being reported in various localities.
Residents noted that a review meeting had recently been conducted under the leadership of the local Avadi MLA to discuss recurring power supply issues and possible solutions. However, they alleged that the situation had not improved and that people continued to face frequent disruptions, especially during the night.
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