CHENNAI: Facing complaints from the public about repeated power cuts, Energy Minister R Nirmalkumar on Saturday said errant staff was one of the reasons behind frequent outages, and warned of stringent action if lapses were found.
Speaking to reporters in Chennai, the Minister said old transformers and faulty cables remained major reasons for outages, but "errant actions of some individuals" had also contributed to supply disruptions.
"In some places, human error is also a reason for the power cuts. We are yet to ascertain the background behind such incidents. If wrongdoing is found, strict action will be taken," he said.
Noting how the utility was currently struggling with a debt burden of Rs 2.5 lakh crore, Nirmalkumar added that it was functioning with only around 70,000 employees against the required workforce strength of 1.4 lakh employees.
The government has initiated steps to restructure the public sector undertaking that has been recording losses for nearly two decades. "The government has decided to undertake structural reforms in the corporation," he said. Responding to a question on the timeline for restructuring, he said the process would take several years and added that Chief Minister Vijay was closely monitoring the developments.
The minister also stressed on the importance of expanding solar power generation and announced that an investors' meeting related to renewable energy would be convened on Monday.
The government is also planning to improve the performance of thermal power stations, which are currently operating at only 60 to 65 per cent of their capacity, he added.
In some places, human error is also a reason for the power cuts. We are yet to ascertain the background behind such incidents. If wrongdoing is found, strict action will be taken– R Nirmalkumar, Energy Minister
On questions relating to tenders issued during the previous DMK regime, he claimed that tenders worth nearly Rs 2,500 crore to Rs 3,000 crore had been cancelled after the new government assumed office.