Videos of power lines on ground force officials to take action
TNPDCL deploys nearly 150 gangmen to bury cables after uproar over electrocutions
Overhead power cables kept in stagnant water near a junction box at Kannagi Nagar on Sunday
CHENNAI: Two back-to-back electrocution deaths in the city have triggered public outrage over the failure of Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (TNPDCL) to secure underground cables and pillar boxes, with residents posting videos and photographs of dangerously exposed power lines on social media.
On Saturday, R Varalakshmi (30), a cleanliness worker with the Greater Chennai Corporation, was electrocuted in Kannagi Nagar while on her way to work. A day earlier, Samuel (57) was electrocuted in Injambakkam after an overhead cable had fallen into stagnant water.
R Lakshmanan, a resident of Kannagi Nagar, alleged that underground cables were not properly buried in the locality. “The cables are buried barely under one foot; so, they get easily exposed and damaged. Despite complaints filed, TNPDCL officials have not taken any action yet,” he fumed.
As per the norms, the depth should be at least 0.9 m for laying 3.3kV to 11kV cables, 1.05 m for 22kV to 33kV cables. The minimum depth of a low-voltage cable should be 0.75 m.
Many denizens have posted photos of exposed power cables in the city tagging the TNPDCL’s social media handle on the X. In Chitlapakkam, residents posted a video showing several underground cables from a pillar box close to the Chitlapakkam lake bund lying on the ground near the Third Main Road. “It’s close to a tea shop and a sports shop,” a resident posted. “Why are the TNPDCL officials failing to do their job?”
After the public uproar over the two electrocution incidents, TNPDCL has launched a drive to fix all the underground cables that were dangerously exposed on a war footing. A senior TNPDCL official said, “Nearly 150 gangmen are on the field to identify and bury the exposed cables under the supervision of officials, including distribution director, chief engineers and superintendent engineers. We’ve already fixed 674 exposed underground cables as part of the pre-monsoon preparedness work in various areas, including Anna Nagar, T Nagar, KK Nagar and Mylapore.”
TNPDCL blamed the flashing of an insulator in a transformer, resulting in the snapping of conductors.
Meanwhile, based on a complaint filed by her husband, Kannagi Nagar police registered a case against Assistant Engineer Surendar of the Electricity Department under Section 106 of the BNS Act (causing death by negligence). The investigation is underway.