CHENNAI: CPM state secretary P Shanmugam’s speech at a Tamil Nadu Farmers’ Association meeting in Gummidipoondi was interrupted by a power cut on Tuesday, making him the third political leader to face such a disruption at an event in three days.

A similar power outage disrupted events attended by Revenue Minister KA Sengottaiyan on Monday and VCK president Thol Thirumavalavan on Sunday.

TNPDCL, however, said the interruption was due to repair work at the Gummidipoondi 33/11 kV substation. A faulty 33 kV AB switch, which had malfunctioned since Saturday, was being repaired from 11am. Power supply to areas served by the substation had been switched to the SIPCOT substation.

The utility said the changeover caused a 10-minute outage in Gummidipoondi Bazaar between 10.50 am and 11 am. The switch was repaired and supply restored around 12.05 pm. TNPDCL also said it had not been informed about the public meeting.