a day ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Overhead cable conversion delay leaves south Chennaiites at risk of electrocution
CHENNAI: The delay in replacing overhead power lines with underground cables in flood-prone parts of south Chennai has left its residents exposed to the risk of electrocution apart from erratic power cuts during the monsoon.
Under the World Bank-funded Coastal Disaster Risk Reduction Programme, Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL) has been converting overhead cables into underground cables in Chennai, Cuddalore and Nagapattinam to ensure people's safety during natural calamities and also avoid frequent power outage. A total of 33,307 km of low-tension (LT) lines and 2,004.89 km of high-tension (HT) lines in Chennai and its suburbs have been proposed to be replaced.
However, only 40% of the work has been completed so far. In the South Chennai, which also includes parts of Tambaram, Chengalpattu and Kancheepuram, the conversion of all HT overhead cables has been completed but LT cables are yet to be replaced.
Geetha Ganesh, secretary of AGS Colony Residents' Welfare Association, told TNIE, 'We have given several petitions to the TNPDCL for the past five years, but no steps have been taken to expedite the work. During the 2022 northeast monsoon, Chief Minister M K Stalin himself visited the area, and we complained directly to him.'
Residents said the old overhead lines, some of which are hanging low, are a major threat to people.
