Power outages in Tamil Nadu: TVK govt failed to plan adequately for state's growing electricity demand, EPS says

CHENNAI: AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami on Thursday condemned the recurring power cuts in Tamil Nadu, alleging that the TVK govt had failed to plan adequately for the state's growing electricity demand.In a statement, Palaniswami said unannounced outages were affecting households, small industries, farmers and students across the state. With temperatures crossing 40 degrees Celsius in several districts, residents were being forced to endure prolonged disruptions, he said.Claiming that social media was flooded with complaints from Chennai to Kanyakumari, the AIADMK leader said people were reporting late-night power cuts, disruption to online work, difficulties for students and the inability of agricultural pump sets and small businesses to function.Palaniswami questioned whether the govt had made necessary preparations to meet future demand, citing projections that state's electricity requirement could touch 23,013 MW in 2026-27. He said the rise in industries, electric vehicles and commercial establishments should have been factored in during long-term planning for power generation, procurement and infrastructure."Electricity is not merely a utility service, it is the lifeline of a state's growth, industry, education, agriculture, employment and daily life," Palaniswami said, while urging the govt to ensure uninterrupted supply.Taking exception to explanations offered for the outages, he said people were unconvinced by claims that incidents such as fuse carriers (busbar) theft were responsible for widespread disruptions. He demanded that the govt release district-wise data on electricity demand, generation and procurement and take immediate corrective measures to prevent further outages.