The Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) has announced a power shutdown in several key areas of Chennai on Thursday, October 3, 2024, to facilitate essential maintenance work. From 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM, residents in Tambaram, New Kolathur, and Kumananchavadi will experience temporary power disruptions as part of this scheduled routine. Power is expected to resume before 2:00 PM if the maintenance work is completed ahead of schedule.
Residents in affected areas, such as Mullai Nagar, Mudichur Road, and State Bank Colony in Tambaram, and other localities including Sai Nagar and Patel Nagar, have been informed of the temporary inconvenience. In Kumananchavadi, prominent areas like Periyar Nagar, Abhirami Nagar, and Sindhu Nagar will also experience outages. While this may pose minor disruptions to daily routines, such maintenance is crucial for ensuring the longevity and efficiency of the electrical grid, which is increasingly under strain due to rising demand.
From a civic perspective, these scheduled shutdowns are vital for maintaining a sustainable and reliable power supply across the city. With urbanisation accelerating in Chennai’s suburbs, routine infrastructure updates are necessary to prevent larger power failures in the future. These upgrades align with the broader focus on reducing technical losses and improving power distribution efficiency, helping to reduce the city’s carbon footprint in the long term. Sustainable power management is key as demand continues to rise, especially in high-growth localities.
Comparing this to previous years, the frequency of power outages for maintenance has reduced thanks to improved technology and better planning by the TNEB. However, interruptions such as these are unavoidable for ensuring quality service. Residents are encouraged to prepare for these shutdowns, especially in areas with high commercial activity like Kumananchavadi, to minimise the impact on daily routines. Timely maintenance will contribute to improved services and fewer unplanned outages in the future.
