The Minnagam helpline for electricity complaints in Chennai has repeatedly become unreachable during power disruptions, with the call centre reportedly supported by only 10 minutes of backup power, leaving consumers unable to register complaints about outages, low voltage and billing issues.
The helpline, which operates on 94987 94987, receives around 3,000 calls a day and is intended to serve as the main point of contact for consumers facing electricity-related problems. However, officials told the Times of India that the centre is powered by the Mylapore 230kV substation and goes offline if a fault at the substation is not restored within the available backup period.
“Whenever the substation develops a glitch, the helpline goes offline after the issue is not restored within 10 minutes,” an official was quoted as saying. The limited backup means that the complaint-registration system can fail at the same time residents are trying to report a power cut or seek information about restoration.
The disruption has also affected access to field-level support. TNPDCL has replaced the mobile numbers of field officers, but the new numbers have reportedly not been publicised widely. As a result, many consumers remain unaware of the updated contacts, while fuse-off complaint numbers have also been reported as unreachable.
The helpline problem comes amid continuing reports of unscheduled power cuts in Chennai and nearby areas. According to TNPDCL’s own declaration, outages lasting more than an hour were recorded in 56 regions across Chennai and neighbouring districts during the 24 hours up to Sunday morning.
Residents of Pulianthope and Palavakkam also reported power cuts lasting about three hours on Sunday. The interruptions were attributed to failures and faults in underground cables, according to the report.
The developments followed a statement by electricity and law minister R Nirmalkumar that the power supply position in Tamil Nadu had stabilised since Saturday. The reported outages and the failure of the complaint helpline indicate that consumers continued to face both service interruptions and difficulties accessing the utility’s grievance system.
Social activist T Sadagopan criticised the utility’s preparedness, saying it was unacceptable for TNPDCL to state that it had not been prepared for summer-like weather in September. He also pointed to a lack of coordination among government agencies, which he said was contributing to public inconvenience. The report said industries had also begun to feel the impact of the power disruptions.
The immediate operational issue for TNPDCL is to maintain uninterrupted power for the Minnagam call centre, ensure that updated field-officer numbers are publicised and keep fuse-off complaint channels accessible while reported faults across Chennai and neighbouring districts are addressed.
