Chennai power cuts disrupted the Koyambedu wholesale market and several residential and commercial areas after heavy northeast monsoon rain, with faults in underground cables, feeder trips, a transformer fire and fallen trees affecting supply across the city.
Power supply to Koyambedu’s fruit market was suspended at around 10pm on Saturday and was not restored until Sunday evening, according to traders. The interruption affected preparations and business ahead of Ayudha Puja celebrations at one of Chennai’s busiest trading hubs.
“Power supply to the fruit market was suspended around 10pm on Saturday night, affecting the business ahead of Ayudha Puja celebrations. Storing fruits and lighting became a problem as many shops ran out of battery backup,” S Srinivasan, president of the Chennai Koyambedu Fruits Commission Agents Association, said. The fruit market has about 600 shops.
Officials said a damaged underground cable had caused the interruption and was being repaired. Traders said the market had also faced an outage lasting nearly 11 hours a few days earlier. They alleged that the underground cables were laid when the market was originally established and now require replacement.
A dispute over responsibility for the replacement has emerged between the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority and the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation. A trader said the two agencies had been sparring over which organisation should bear the cost. The market complex’s chief administrative officer, Indumathy, was not available for comment.
Elsewhere, residents of Pulianthope faced a day-long outage on Sunday after a fault in an underground power cable. In Gopalapuram, a transformer fire caused a power failure, while three separate faults affected homes and commercial establishments in T Nagar and Mambalam.
TNPDCL also suspended supply in the Anna Salai area, citing heavy rain on Saturday night. Residents in different neighbourhoods reported overhead cables hanging dangerously low and smoke emerging from underground cables. In Tiruverkadu, trees fell on overhead cables during the early hours of Sunday, leading to an outage. TNPDCL officials said supply there was restored around 7.30am.
Madhavaram and Ennore were among the first areas to report outages after rain began on Saturday evening. Supply was restored on Sunday morning in those areas, but power cuts continued in parts of Neelankarai, Pulianthope, Mangadu, Tiruvottiyur, Tiruverkadu and Kottivakkam.
TNPDCL attributed the failures to faults in underground cables and feeder trips. The disruptions have highlighted the operational pressure placed on Chennai’s electricity network during intense rainfall, while the prolonged interruption at Koyambedu has also raised questions about the maintenance and replacement of ageing distribution infrastructure in a major trading complex.
