CHENNAI: Tension prevailed in Alandur after functionaries of the ruling DMK and opposition AIADMK were involved in a heated argument when the latter came to the sub-station office to file a petition complaining about frequent power cuts in the area.

For the past few weeks, residents in Alandur, Adambakkam, Pazhavanthangal, Nanganallur and St Thomas Mount have been experiencing frequent outages. It was turning into a major irritant for the residents, as the supply was often getting disrupted at midnight for up to an hour.

On Monday morning, former minister B Valarmathi along with the AIADMK functionaries went to the Alandur EB substation with the petition seeking a solution to the issue, Meanwhile, DMK members, too, went there.

An argument erupted between the two groups after the opposition party members told the DMK men to resolve the issue. The other side retorted that this has been an issue for the last decade, blaming the AIADMK for not addressing the issue when it was in power.

When a team from St Thomas Mount police station tried to intervene, Valarmathi blamed the police for not ensuring that the people could file a petition. The police held talks to pacify both sides and dispersed both of them.