What was once an annoyance has become a sore point with these rolling blackouts. We had a rough night of it on 14 June, and by the time officials were prepping for another round of shutdowns in a few localities on the 15th, there were already protests in some parts of town. For now, it’s up to residents to make do with what they have and stay on top of the news.
Public anger and night-time outages intensify
For weeks, you’ve been seeing unannounced cuts in every corner of the city and its outskirts. Some of us have been left in the dark for hours at a time, which is hard to take when you’re trying to get some rest or put a meal together in this kind of humidity.
It came to a head in Avadi and around there. A long stretch without power had people amassing near a substation. You could see the frustration as the protest made a bit of a scene and traffic ground to a halt, all in the name of some quick results.
What to expect on 15 June
There’s some routine work being done in a few spots on 15 June, 2026. Don’t expect a total city-wide blackout, but your block might be hit. They’ve put the work in for 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM.
One thing to keep in mind from the authorities: if the job is done early, you may not see a cut at all. In other cases, the interruption will be brief, it depends on how things go on the ground.
Latest maintenance and past schedules
We’ve had our share of this before. Just on 14 June, for instance, the Vallam-Vadakal Substation area was without power from 9 to 5 for some upkeep. Those in the know were told to plan for it.
Why the grid is under strain
If you ask the Electricity Board, it’s a matter of transformers giving out and cables in bad shape. Then you add in everyone cranking up the AC in this weather and you put a lot of load on the system.
Case in point: Wednesday night saw Madipakkam, Pallikaranai and Perumbakkam in the lurch over transformer issues. Arumbakkam had a problem with a cable and Pudupet with a faulty unit.
How authorities are responding
They’ve brought back some of the old fuse-off numbers and put 77 more helplines in place in and around the city to clear the backlog of complaints. It’s all to make sure you don’t have to wait on hold.
From 6 pm to midnight, you’ll find Tangedco staff at the substations to put out any fires. They’ve put 95 men on the job to deal with the public and get the power back on, with orders to put in new transformers where the old ones are shot.
Steps to minimise disruption
Since we can’t count on the power, it’s best to be prepared. Make your plans and give the utility a ring if you need to know when the lights are coming back on.
A few things to do before the 15th:
– Get your phones, laptops and modems fully charged
– Put some water away and see to your cooking in advance
– Have a torch and some batteries within reach
– Turn off anything sensitive before the power dips
– Rely on a backup if you have one
– Call in for the word on restoration in your area
What this means for Chennai
People are fed up. The way things have been in Avadi is a sign of a trust deficit that needs to be mended with some prompt action and plain talk.
Down the line, we want to see better management so we aren’t left in the dark without warning. Right now, eyes are on the 9 to 2 slot on 15 June and whether we can get our supply back by 2:00 PM or a bit before.
Keep an eye on TNPDCL for the latest. In the meantime, Chennai is holding its nerve, making the best of the situation while the necessary work gets done.
