Udhayanidhi Stalin slams TVK govt as power outrage spark protests in Tamil Nadu
Chennai, Sep 12 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Opposition leader Udhayanidhi Stalin has criticised the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government following a surge in complaints of unscheduled power cuts and low voltage across the state over the past two days.
Residents in several districts have taken to the streets, alleging that prolonged outages have disrupted their daily lives and affected commercial and industrial activities.
In Tirunelveli district, residents of Mudaliarpatti and surrounding areas staged a demonstration at night, carrying torches and candles to protest repeated interruptions in electricity supply.
Residents of Ammapettai and North Ariyavur in the Srirangam Assembly constituency of Tiruchi district continued their road blockade for the second consecutive day.
They alleged that the authorities had failed to resolve the persistent power supply problems despite repeated complaints.
A similar protest was held near Kadavur in Karur district, where residents claimed that power cuts lasting between four and six hours had occurred regularly for more than 10 days.
People in Pudukottai and Rasipuram areas of Namakkal district also faced hardship after unscheduled outages reportedly continued for more than an hour.
Industrial units have also raised concerns about the situation.
Executives from factories operating at the SIDCO Women’s Industrial Park near Sengundram in Tiruvallur district laid siege to the local electricity board office.
They alleged that frequent outages and low-voltage supply were affecting production and causing financial losses.
Electricity Minister Nirmal Kumar attributed the shortage to a disruption in wind power generation.
He said the problem had affected several states and was not confined to Tamil Nadu.
The Minister said the state government had purchased the electricity required by the state from the common power distribution network.
Regular supply had been restored in all areas after adequate power was procured on Thursday evening, he added.
Responding to the reports, Udhayanidhi said people were being forced to protest because of continuous unscheduled power cuts and voltage fluctuations.
He accused the Electricity Minister of making unnecessary allegations instead of taking effective measures to address the crisis.
Describing the administration as a “fuse-blown TVK government”, Udhayanidhi said it was struggling to ensure essential services, including electricity and Aavin milk distribution.
He urged the state government to stop diversionary tactics and concentrate on resolving the everyday problems faced by the people.
–IANS
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