Power cuts leave Chennai residents fuming; protests erupt across city

Widespread powerfulness outages crossed respective parts of Chennai from Monday (June 8, 2026) nighttime until the aboriginal hours of Tuesday (June 9) triggered nationalist outrage, with residents staging protests extracurricular Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (TNEB) offices and engaging successful heated arguments with officials implicit the prolonged disruption and alleged hold successful restoring powerfulness supply.

At astir 2.30 a.m., astir 100 residents laid siege to the EB bureau successful Arumbakkam, demanding contiguous restoration of electricity. Expressing choler implicit recurring powerfulness cuts, a nonmigratory said, “Those who got our votes are sleeping peacefully successful their homes. Should we endure by lasting present astatine this unusual hr and spending sleepless nights without power? I americium asking the unit astir the regular powerfulness cuts we are facing, but they are lone addressing today’s problem.”

Police unit connected nighttime patrol reached the spot and attempted to disperse the agitated crowd. Residents, however, questioned whether the constabulary unit could endure the summertime vigor without electricity, and asked them not to interfere with their protest. The unit had a pugnacious clip bringing the concern nether control.

Another nonmigratory alleged that an EB unit subordinate had told them that powerfulness cuts during the nighttime were unavoidable. “Who gave them the close to accidental specified things? The constabulary request not interfere. Let the MLA travel present and springiness america an assurance,” she said.

Around 3.30 a.m., different radical of astir 100 residents gathered astatine the EB bureau successful Madipakkam, questioning the unit connected work implicit the predominant powerfulness disruptions that had persisted for the past 2 days. The officials reportedly told them that the concern was beyond their control, citing transformer failures and aggregate method faults. Residents demanded the contiguous restoration of supply, portion immoderate pleaded with the unit to rectify the faults astatine the earliest.

‘Helpline fig of nary use’

Raju, a nonmigratory of Ram Nagar, said, “My children are school-going. They are incapable to slumber without electricity. How tin they be schoolhouse successful the greeting without due sleep? We came each the mode to the EB bureau to find retired erstwhile powerfulness would beryllium restored. If we telephone the exigency helpline 1912, either cipher answers the telephone oregon we person to hold for a agelong time. Even erstwhile they respond, they lone registry a ailment and nonstop america a ailment fig done SMS. After that, cipher attends to the complaint.”

Ramesh of LIC Nagar said, “We person been facing terrible power-related issues since Sunday (June 7) night, including voltage fluctuations, single-phase supply, and implicit blackouts successful Kuberan Nagar Extension, Govindasamy Nagar, and Lakshmi Nagar. It has go an endless ordeal. It is precise hard to scope the Minnagam telephone centre, and the unit astatine the EB bureau ne'er reply calls. Even if we travel present directly, they simply accidental that unit are attending to faults elsewhere without specifying where. They bash not adjacent grounds our complaints successful the register.”

“Our ACs and electrical items successful the location became faulty owed to powerfulness fluctuation. The concern is unbearable. We person to support connected buying caller ones. We are paying a immense magnitude for the energy measure but determination is nary effect from the unit for our complaints. EB unit would travel instantly and drawback the powerfulness proviso to immoderate idiosyncratic household whenever determination are arrears connected our part. But erstwhile we travel with grievance, they neglect to enactment immediately,” alleged Kamesh, a nonmigratory of 12th Street, Kuberan Nagar. 

Protests crossed city

Similar protests were witnessed successful Washermenpet, Tiruvottiyur, Ambattur, Madhavaram, Manali, Avadi, Poonamallee, Thirunindravur, Medavakkam, and Velachery. Residents successful Ambattur and surrounding areas, including S.V. Nagar, Vijayalakshmipuram, and Kallikuppam, reported powerfulness outages lasting much than 3 hours.

Angered by the prolonged disruptions, residents gathered successful ample numbers and laid siege to EB offices. They questioned officials and engaged successful heated exchanges with staff. Frustrated by the deficiency of response, immoderate residents resorted to roadworthy blockades. In 1 instance, protesters squatted connected a roadworthy successful the Red Hills area, disrupting postulation for much than 2 hours.

A nonmigratory said, “We person been facing powerfulness cuts for the past week. Electricity is chopped astir 9 p.m. and restored lone astatine astir 4 a.m. the adjacent day. It has go unbearable. The MLA whom we elected should travel present and resoluteness the contented immediately.”

Similar protests were besides reported successful Mangadu, Thirunindravur and respective different parts of the city. Meanwhile 2 radical were arrested by constabulary for stealing HRC fuses astatine respective places successful Kamaraj Nagar, Avadi. This stealing caused powerfulness cuts successful these areas, said EB officials.