Residents of the Arumbakkam/Aminjikarai locality in Chennai have raised serious concerns over prolonged power supply issues, alleging that they have been facing frequent outages, voltage fluctuations and unsafe temporary electrical arrangements for nearly two months.
According to residents, the problems began after an underground power cable in the area was damaged. Following complaints, electricity officials reportedly installed a temporary overhead cable instead of carrying out a permanent repair. Residents claim the cable currently runs through an area filled with stagnant water, creating fears of a potential accident.
“This issue has been there for over a month. The underground cable was burnt. After that, there was no electricity for an entire day. When residents complained, officials temporarily laid a cable above ground and left. The cable is running over water, and nobody knows what could happen at any moment,” a resident told reporters.
Residents further alleged that an electrical distribution box in the locality has remained in poor condition for nearly a year despite repeated complaints from people living on the street.
“We have complained numerous times asking officials to replace the box. No action has been taken. Whenever power goes off, it takes four to five hours for supply to be restored. Frequent outages are affecting our livelihoods as many of us run shops and businesses in the area,” another resident said.
Several residents stated that power supply has been highly erratic for nearly two months, particularly during the night. They alleged that electricity repeatedly goes on and off, preventing fans and air conditioners from functioning.
“For the past two months, power comes and goes continuously. At night, nobody can sleep because neither fans nor air conditioners work. We have been filing complaints regularly. Sometimes voltage becomes extremely low and then suddenly shoots up. As a result, household appliances have been damaged,” a resident said.
Residents claim that refrigerators and air conditioners in multiple homes have stopped functioning due to repeated voltage fluctuations. They also alleged that there was a period of nearly two days when the area was left without power entirely.
“For almost two days there was no electricity at all. Neighbours had to arrange a generator just to run water pumps. Only one phase was available and connections were shared among households so that people could at least get water,” a resident said.
Locals further accused electricity department officials of failing to respond to complaints. According to them, repeated calls to the local office and officials often went unanswered.
“We continuously called the MMDA Colony office and the Junior Engineer, but nobody answered. Sometimes the phone would keep ringing and other times it appeared as though the receiver had been taken off the hook. When we visit the office, often nobody is available,” a resident alleged.
Residents also expressed concern over the temporary wiring arrangement, claiming that exposed joints and cables pose a safety risk, especially to children moving through the area.
“They have made temporary connections with wires joined at multiple points. Children walk through this area every day. We do not know what might happen,” a resident said.
Several families allege that voltage fluctuations have caused significant financial losses due to damaged appliances. One woman said her washing machine stopped working and had to be taken away for repairs.
“The service technician told me it would cost around ₹10,000 to repair the washing machine. Most of us are daily wage earners. How can we afford such expenses? My child is only four years old and cannot sleep at night because of the power cuts,” she said.
The resident further claimed that a refrigerator in her home had also stopped functioning properly due to the power issues.
“The refrigerator is not cooling at all. A new refrigerator costs around ₹30,000. We have a young child at home and need to store milk. I moved into this area only two months ago, and within that period I have already suffered losses of nearly ₹50,000 because of electrical problems,” she alleged.
According to the resident, technicians who inspected the damaged appliances attributed the failures to voltage fluctuations and advised her to consider relocating to another locality if the situation continued.
Residents have urged the Tamil Nadu Electricity Board to undertake permanent repairs, replace damaged infrastructure and ensure stable power supply before further accidents or losses occur.
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