Tamil Nadu has sent 500 Electricity Board employees to Andhra Pradesh after the neighbouring state sought assistance to deal with the impact of Cyclone Murasu, Electricity Minister Nirmal Kumar said at a press conference in Chennai on November 2.
The minister said the deployment was made on the instruction of Chief Minister Vijay, who directed the state government to provide immediate assistance to Andhra Pradesh. The first group of 500 power-sector workers has already been sent to the neighbouring state, according to the minister’s statement reported by Dinamalar.
The teams were formed in a way that would not affect electricity-related work in Tamil Nadu, Kumar said. This means the deployment was planned alongside the state’s own operational requirements, although the minister did not provide details about the number of employees retained in Tamil Nadu, the specific districts covered by the deployment or the duration of the assistance.
The assistance follows a request from the Andhra Pradesh electricity board to address the effects of Cyclone Murasu. The minister described the support as help extended to a neighbouring state. The statement did not specify the extent of damage to Andhra Pradesh’s electricity infrastructure, the number of affected consumers or the locations where the Tamil Nadu teams would work.
The announcement highlights the role of electricity-board staff in disaster response, where restoring or maintaining power supply becomes part of the wider emergency operation. In this case, Tamil Nadu’s contribution is being organised through dedicated teams while the state also prepares for its own seasonal risks. The minister said rescue teams in Tamil Nadu were on standby to respond to the northeast monsoon.
Kumar’s comments covered both the inter-state deployment and electricity procurement. He denied reports that Tamil Nadu was purchasing electricity at Rs 41 per unit, describing those reports as incorrect. The statement did not provide the actual procurement price, the period to which the alleged purchase related or details of the state’s current electricity procurement arrangements.
The minister made the remarks at the Tamil Nadu electricity department headquarters in Chennai. The announcement establishes that 500 electricity-board employees have been sent to Andhra Pradesh as the first phase of assistance, while Tamil Nadu’s own rescue teams remain prepared for monsoon-related response. Further details on the teams’ assignments, deployment period and the progress of power restoration in Andhra Pradesh were not provided in the statement.
