Chennai: The first heavy downpour of the northeast monsoon exposed poor maintenance work by Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation (TNPDCL), as several neighbourhoods reported power cuts since Saturday night. Power supply to Koyambedu wholesale market, one of the city’s busiest trade hubs, was not restored until Sunday evening.“Power supply to the fruit market was suspended around 10pm on Saturday night, affecting the business ahead of Ayudha Puja celebrations. Storing fruits and lighting became a problem as many shops ran out of battery backup,” said S Srinivasan, president of Chennai Koyambedu Fruits Commission Agents Association. There are about 600 shops in the fruit market alone.Officials said that the damaged underground cable, which led to the power interruption, was being repaired. However, traders complained that power supply to the market was suspended for nearly 11 hours a few days ago. “The underground cables were laid when the market was originally set up and should be replaced. But Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) and TNPDCL have been sparring over who should bear the cost,” said another trader. The market complex’s chief admin officer Indumathy was not available for comment.Pulianthope residents faced a day-long power cut on Sunday due to a fault in the underground power cable, while a fire in the transformer led to an outage in Gopalapuram. In T Nagar and Mambalam, three different faults left homes and commercial spaces in the dark. TNPDCL suspended power supply to Anna Salai area, citing heavy rains on Saturday night.Meanwhile, residents said that overhead cables were dangling dangerously low and smoke was emanating from underground cables in different areas. In Tiruverkadu, trees falling on overhead cables led to an outage in the wee hours of Sunday. TNPDCL officials said the supply was restored around 7.30am. Madhavaram and Ennore were the first to suffer power cuts since Saturday evening after the rain started lashing; power supply was restored on Sunday morning.The power cut continued on Sunday too, affecting several areas, including Neelankarai, Pulianthope, Mangadu, Tiruvottiyur, Tiruverkadu and Kottivakkam.Meanwhile, TNPDCL attributed the failures to faults in underground cables and feeder trips.
